


Paternity Court: Hux vs Niima

by Lunasent



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Abandonment, Accidental Kissing, Accidentally High, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Armitage Hux Being An Asshole, Armitage Hux is Not Nice, Armitage Hux is a Jerk, Attempted Seduction, Birth complications, Child Abandonment, Child Neglect, Childbirth, DNA test, Devoted Kylo Ren, Devoted Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Domestic Reylo, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Fainting, Falling In Love, Foster Care, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Kylo Ren and Rey Are Not Related, Love, Making Love, Minor Finn/Rose Tico, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Motherhood, Mutual Pining, Near Death Experiences, Oblivious Rey (Star Wars), POV First Person, POV Rey (Star Wars), Parenthood, Parents Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Past Child Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Paternity Doubt, Phasma Ships It, Placental Abruption, Protective Ben Solo, Rey & Rose Tico Friendship, Rey (Star Wars) is a Mess, Rey Needs A Hug, Reylo - Freeform, Reylo Parents, Self-Doubt, Sex, Single Parents, Soft Ben Solo, Step-parents, Television, Unplanned Pregnancy, Wingman Phasma, Young Rey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:08:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 73,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26728702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lunasent/pseuds/Lunasent
Summary: Being dumped by her boyfriend Armitage Hux and evicted by her landlord at four months pregnant was only the beginning for Rey Niima's problems. Why would it be easy? Life never was for her growing up, so why should it change now? Not only that, the money that she put for her half of the rent had been going into Armitage's pocket behind her back. When things seemed like they couldn't get worse, Ben Solo, owner and founder of Solo Martial Arts Academy, swoops in and saves the day. Giving a pregnant and abandoned Rey a place in his home and his heart. A couple years later, she's enjoying life with her twenty-two-month-old daughter Alice and now fiance, only months away from becoming Mrs. Solo. Suddenly, she summoned to Paternity Court, a reality television show, by Armitage to prove that he isn't the father of Alice. This follows her time in front of a judge and a live audience while she recounts the events from her life that had led her to this day in court.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Bazine Netal, Armitage Hux/Rey, Finn/Rose Tico, Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Zorii Bliss/Poe Dameron
Comments: 170
Kudos: 251





	1. How They Met

**I don’t own Star Wars or any of their characters, they all belong to** ** _Lucasfilm_** **and** **_Disney._ ****Also Judge Lauren Lake is a real person and a real judge on her own TV show titled** **_Paternity Court_** **.**

There was a plethora of people walking up and down the halls outside the door. Murmuring into their walkies and to each other about what was about to happen. Right now, I was looking at my reflection in a mirror. Not sure what to do with the woman who was staring back at me. Having just had my hair and makeup done by professionals. From a television studio for a court show.

That’s why I was here. I was about to go out in front of at least two dozen people to appear on a court television show. _Paternity Court_ , to be exact. I’d received a letter in the mail from one of their producers. Telling me that my sleazy ex-boyfriend Armitage Hux had petitioned for a DNA test on our daughter Alice.

He knew damned well that she was his. I hadn’t been intimate with anyone other than him during our entire relationship and it wasn’t like I didn't give him an opportunity to do this before. He was doing this to look like a victim on television. Not to mention the internet. They’d gobble this all up in an instant. He wanted fame and he wanted me to look like a terrible person with no morals.

We’d just had our cheeks swabbed for the DNA analysis. I was worried that Alice would’ve fussed with a cotton swab in her mouth. But she took it well and with no fight. Any discomfort was made up for with the lolli she received when they were done.

Right now, she was occupied by playing with her favorite toy on the ground. Completely unaware of what was going on around her. But she was good at picking up on my energy so I fought to keep myself calm.

I suddenly felt two large hands rest on my shoulders. Then the sound of a soothing voice came to my ear, “It's going to be fine, sweetheart.” He pressed his thumbs to the back of my neck and began a circling motion to relieve the tension I was feeling. “You know the truth and so does he. The only one who’s going to look stupid is him and you don’t need him anyway.”

A blissful sigh escaped me as I leaned back against his well-toned chest. It was my fiance, Ben Solo. The man who had been there for me and Alice from the beginning. Coming across me by chance while I was still pregnant and living my darkest hours. He let us into his home, his life, and then his heart. After mine had been broken, I never thought I’d find love again. But Ben broke through the walls that surrounded my mind and heart. As if that weren’t enough, he loved Alice with everything in him. He saw her as his own even though they didn’t share blood. He’s the only father she’s ever known in her short life. 

There was some truth to his words. He wasn’t. “I know we don’t need him. But I want Alice to have a chance to know her father.” I reminded him. “I owe her that much. And it is his right to know his own child.”

“You know I would never stand in the way of that.” He pressed a gentle kiss to the back of my head. “I just want you both safe and I don’t trust him.”

When he rested his chin on my shoulder, I gave a small peck to his cheek. “Me neither, but we’re here now so there’s no point in going back.”

He let go of my shoulders so I could lean down and pick up the tiny tot. His dark brown eyes lit up with adoration when she was nestled safely in my arms. He placed one hand on my waist to pull me against him and used the other to stroke her short curls. She smiled brightly at the attention and grasped his tie with her tiny fingers, demanding more attention. He smiled when she pulled him down to her level and gave her a kiss on her chubby cheek, making her giggle in response with pure joy.

I couldn’t help but smile at them both. Alice had had him wrapped around her tiny fingers since birth. He was the first to hold her because I’d fallen unconscious shortly after giving birth, having suffered a placental abruption. It was he who helped me during those sleepless nights. He who would read to her and sing her to sleep when I couldn’t. She would light up like a Christmas tree whenever he came home and he, his usual appearance so gruff and intimidating, would melt in an instant as soon as he’d see her.

These two were the center of my whole universe. Their happiness and well-being were all that was important to me. Nothing else mattered. But that didn’t stop me from being nervous about all the things that were going to come to light in a few short minutes.

Ben’s large nose nuzzled my temple, interrupting my internal musings. “I know you’re worried. Don’t be. I’ll be standing next to you the entire time.”

Before I could respond, a knock came from the door and I called out, “Come in!”

A head poked in from the door, one of the producers. “Hello, Ms. Nima, Mr. Solo, they’re ready for you now. Would you like some more time to prepare or are you ready to proceed with the trial?”

Ben gave me a confirming nod and I turned back to her, “We’re ready.”

“Okay then,” she spoke briefly into her earpiece and then waved us over. “I can take Alice to the nursery if you’d like. Unless you’d rather it be you.”

“No, that’s fine,” I assured her and gently placed Alice in her waiting arms. Then I pressed a gentle kiss to Alice’s cheek. “I love you, Alice. Mummy and Daddy will be right back, Luv. Be good,”

Ben was next to give her a kiss and straightened her headband. “Miss you already, Princess. I love you.”

She leaned her small head against the producer’s chest and then they were off down the hall. My eyes trained on their retreating forms until I felt a small tap on my shoulder. I turned to see that it was another one of the crew members with lavalier mics for us to attach to our clothes. The microphone was a little awkward because it had to go up under our shirts and clip onto the collar at our chests. The receiver was attached to the back of our pants or into the back pocket, hidden by the clothes provided to us by wardrobe.

We were then led to a waiting room of sorts with benches on either side of the double doors that led into the courtroom. Another producer told us to sit for the moment just as another couple came in behind her.

My hazel eyes zeroed in on the familiar green ones of my ex. We held eye contact while I felt the rage and betrayal of his actions soar through me once more. His lips twisted in an arrogant smirk as the woman next to him took his arm and looked at me like I was dirt under her stiletto pumps. Nearly two years later and I still felt the same hurt weighing on my chest. 

There was pressure on my hand and I looked to see that Ben was squeezing it in reassurance. He looked at them past my head, his eyes narrowed in on the couple as he leaned down to kiss my hair. I relished in seeing Armitage shrink back a little. Ben was only an inch taller than him but it was more than enough to be intimidating even when he was sitting down. I don’t recall there was ever a moment where anyone wasn’t afraid when they first met him. Myself included. Both times. But once you got to know him, he was actually a big softie. A big softie with almost two-hundred pounds of pure muscle and could look very menacing when he wanted to.

This was one of those times. He continued to stare at Armitage in open challenge as his hand released mine to tighty clasp our fingers. The warning in his eyes was clear. The corner of his lip turned up ever so slightly when the message was received and they turned to suddenly admire the painting that hung on the wall in front of them.

The four of us waited for several minutes before another crew member entered and told us to wait to be called.

I could hear the audience talking to each other in the other room. So much talking going back and forth. I had to admit, I wondered how much audience members were paid to be here? To watch people go back and forth in regards to legalities. Or in this instance, paternity doubts. Then, we heard the call from the male bailiff, “All parties in the matter of Hux vs Niima, step forward.”

The crew member gestured towards Armitage and his fiance to enter first before motioning for Ben and me to follow. They were already passing the small swinging doors as we descended down the aisle. 

When they made it to the plaintiffs podium the uniformed bailiff, Mike Jerome Putnam greeted Armitage and his fiance and had swore them in. To tell the truth and nothing but the truth so help them. After he finished with them he came to us and did the same. We too swore as we raised our right hands.

Once we were all sworn in, he announced in a loud clear voice “All rise!” Called the grey-haired bailiff when Judge Lauren Lake entered the courtroom. 

When the beautiful African-American woman took her place at the bench, she called out, “Please, be seated!” The audience behind us all sat down while Ben and I stayed standing at the defendant’s podium.

The bailiff stepped towards the bench and greeted the judge, “Hello, Your Honor.”

“Hello!” She greeted him with a kind smile.

He handed her a folder, “This is the case of Hux vs Niima.”

She took from him, grateful, “Thank you, Jerome.” Then to everyone else, “Good day, everyone!”

We all responded, “Good day.”

She then opened up the envelope and proceeded, “Mr. Hux, you are here to prove that you are not the father of your ex-girlfriend Ms. Niima’s daughter, Alice. You say that you have been tricked by a conniving woman who cheated on you multiple times throughout the relationship, then attempted to trap you with a baby and has wrongfully placed you on child support while knowing you're not the father. You also claim to have concrete evidence that will prove that you are not Alice’s biological father. You hope today’s results will clear the air and Ms. Niima will leave you alone so you can get married to your fiance and be taken off the birth certificate as well as the child support, is that correct?”

My ex-boyfriend Armitage Hux bobbed his head with a confident smirk, “Yes, Your Honor.”

Then the Judge looked at me, “Ms. Niima, you claim that Mr. Hux wanted to have a baby with you, but when your birth control failed and you became pregnant with your daughter, he left you broke and alone. You had to go through your whole pregnancy without his support and you say if it wasn’t for the man who is standing with you now, your fiance Mr. Solo, you and your daughter may have ended up on the streets. You say when today’s results prove that Mr. Hux is Alice’s biological father, you hope that it will encourage him to step up and be in her life. If he doesn’t want to, you ask that he terminate all his parental rights and give consent for your fiance to adopt her after you marry, is that correct?”

I nodded then my fiance Ben and I replied, “Yes, Your Honor.”

Judge Lake turned to look back at Armitage. “Mr. Hux, why don’t you explain to me how this all started. You say there’s no way that Ms. Niima’s child could be yours. Can you explain why you’re so sure?”

“You see, Your Honor, Ms. Niima was unfaithful to me from the beginning.” He told her and the audience let out a noise of surprise and disapproval. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, my insides twisting in disgust at the lie. “I have pretty strong instincts and I knew deep down that she was cheating on me. So, when she told me she was pregnant, I felt for certain that the baby could not possibly be mine.”

“Tell me the nature of your relationship with her.” She then said. “Were you boyfriend and girlfriend, friends with benefits or something else?”

“Boyfriend and girlfriend.” He said.

The Judge turned to me, “Is that true, Ms. Niima?”

I nodded, “Yes, Your Honor.”

She turned back to him, “So it was a committed relationship?”

“It was on my end, anyway.” He nodded his head towards me. “She wasn’t committed to me at all.”

I bit my tongue to stop from retorting. At the same time, I felt the gentle press of Ben's hand on my back. Reassuring me without speaking. _You’ll have your chance. Don’t let him rile you up. You’re better than that._ Was what it felt like he was telling me…and he was right.

The Judge spoke up again, “Where did you two meet?”

“Sophomore year of high school. My parents had just moved us from Ireland.” He explained, which was true. “But we didn’t start dating until a year later. We got an apartment together after we graduated. That’s when things started going down hill.”

“Explain,” she told him.

He let out an exaggerated sigh. “I guess that, given her upbringing, she felt that since she’d finally gotten that taste of freedom, she wanted to do whatever she wanted with whoever she wanted. She was hardly ever home. She’d be gone for hours at a time and I would have no idea where she was. I knew she was cheating.”

The audience let out an “Ooooooh” and the Judge turned to me again, her eyes contemplative, “Ms. Niima, do you agree with what Mr. Hux is saying? Is he telling the truth?”

I shook my head, “No, Your Honor. Not all of it anyway.”

“Okay then,” she leaned forward, her full attention on her now. “Please tell the court your version of the relationship.”

My heart started pounding when all the attention became focused on me. I swallowed as a lump formed in my throat, nervous.

“Take your time, sweetie, I know this is hard.” She said softly, her eyes full of understanding and patience. I heard Armitage snort and her eyes shot to him in warning. “Mr. Hux, she let you tell your side of the story so far without interrupting. I ask that you show her the same courtesy and keep the noises to yourself.”

He blushed, embarrassed for being caught. “Sorry, Your Honor.”

I never liked being the center of attention. The only reason I agreed to this was to prove my daughter's paternity. I hated that it had to be done publicly and for millions of people to be in my business as we aired out our dirty laundry to the world.

But this wasn’t about me. I was here to get answers for my daughter. Alice deserved to know the truth. None of this was her fault. This was my responsibility...but I also wasn’t alone. I looked up at Ben briefly and he offered a nod of encouragement. 

I took a deep breath and let my mind bring back all the good and bad memories. “I didn’t have the best childhood, he was right about that.”

“How do you mean?” She asked, curious.

I bit my lip before answering, “My parents were drug addicts and didn’t take care of me. They abandoned me with some mean strangers when I was five. I guess you could say they basically sold me for drug money.”

_Fifteen Years Ago_

The scorching hot sun was beating down hard on my skin. It’s bright light made it hard for me to make out the silhouettes of the two figures walking away. I desperately tried to follow them but the mean lady who lived here was holding tight onto my arm. I couldn’t pull away so all I could was cry after them, “Mama! Papa! Come back! Please, don’t leave me!”

The lady pulled me harder, towards the front door. “Shut up! You live here now!”

“No I don’t!” I shook my head and started to cry. Reaching out towards my mother and father, I beseeched, “I’ll be good! I will! Mummy, Daddy, please take me with you!”

Maybe they couldn’t hear me. Or perhaps they’ll come back for me later. Yes! That had to be it! They were coming back. They wouldn’t just leave me. I felt better the more I thought about it. I stopped resisting the lady and she yanked me inside, slamming the door shut. Blocking my view of my parents walking away.

She let go of me and left me in the room, disappearing into what looked like a kitchen. I held my little rag doll to my chest, scared. I looked around the room, scared. The wallpaper was dirty and torn as hung from various places. The floor was covered with glass and empty beer cans. What used to be a light carpet looked stained and matted. Almost all the furniture had duct tape holding it together so it wouldn’t fall apart. The only thing that didn’t seem to be broken was the telly sitting on a table in front of the settee. But the picture was fuzzy.

The lady came back into the room and threw a dustpan and brush at my feet. When I looked up at her questioningly, she pointed at them. “Get to work and start cleaning! You have to earn your keep to live here and if you want to eat.”

I picked the brush without a word and nodded. She then dropped down onto the settee and picked up the remote. I wasn’t sure where to start, the room was so messy. So I thought it best to begin with the broken glass by the telly.

When I started sweeping into a pile, she screeched, “Move, you little runt! I can’t see!” I dropped to my knees, instantly terrified. But when I did that, I landed on the glass. At my pained yelp she looked at me, annoyed. “Now look what you did!”

I bit my lip to keep from crying, “I’m sorry.”

She snorted, “You start with those tears and then I’ll _really_ give you something to cry about. Get back to work!”

Knowing that woman wasn’t lying, I picked the brush back up and kept sweeping. I ignored the red liquid coming out of my cut as I cleaned for a few hours. When it was almost night, I'd already moved onto the kitchen. Instead of worrying about glass, I had to deal with cockroaches. Some big and some small. But they were all fast and it wasn’t easy to squash all of them.

The door opened and slammed shut, making me jump in surprise. In the next moment, a man entered the kitchen and threw something on the table. When he noticed me crouched down by the fridge, he looked back into the other room and snarled, “Tammy, what the hell is this?”

“That’s the Niima girl.” Came from the living room. “You said you wanted someone to clean this dump.”

The man sneered at me, “I meant a maid, not some kid!”

“Well, you get what you paid for, Greg!” The woman barked. “She cost $200!”

“How old are you, kid?” He demanded.

I gulped, “Five.”

He turned on his heel and marched into the living room. “Are kidding me with this, Tammy? $200 for some pipsqueak?”

“Hey, you could’ve been here for the sale instead of out with your buddies.” She said defensively. “Or you could have asked them yourself when they offered her while they were here yesterday.”

I listened to them argue about me for a long time while I just kept cleaning. They went back and forth about what they were going to do with me. _Mummy, when are you and Daddy coming back for me? I don’t like it here!_

The man, Greg, came back into the kitchen and yanked the door open to pull out a can of beer. He opened it and noisily slurped as his eyes looked by my feet. “What is that?”

I looked down and realized he was talking about my dolly. I picked her up and showed her to him, “This is Elizabeth! Like Queen Elizabeth!” He reached down and snatched her out of my hands before I could blink. “Oi!”

“What a piece of garbage!” He chortled as he looked her over, “You Brits and your queens. What a joke.” He then waved her in my face and pulled back when I tried to take her back. “You want it?” I nodded eagerly. He walked and opened the door by the sink, “Then go get it!” And then he threw her.

“No!” I cried in despair and tried to chase after it.

His sweaty hand grabbed my arm and slammed the door shut before I could reach it. He leaned down so close that I could smell the beer in his breath, “I don’t want that trash in my house. Now, if you don’t behave, then the next thing I throw will be you. Got it?” I gulped and nodded. “Good.” He then headed back in the direction of the living room, and yelled over his shoulder at me, “You’ll be sleeping on the floor in the living room. But not until you finish cleaning this kitchen. It better be spotless when we get up in the morning!”

I kept myself from crying while I continued to scrub the floor. Not wanting to see if the woman, Tammy, would fall through with her threats on making it worse. By the time I actually finished the kitchen, they were already in bed and it was pitch black outside. I couldn’t tell time but I knew it was late. I collapsed from exhaustion on the carpet in the living room and curled into a ball. There was no blanket and no pillows so all I could do was tuck my legs and arms into my shirt like a turtle. Alone in the room, devastated at the loss of my beloved toy, and that my parents hadn’t come back yet, I cried myself to sleep. 

The next morning, I was pushed out to the backyard and the door locked behind me so I couldn’t get back in. Greg demanded that I sweep and hose the deck, rake and pull some weeds. The yard looked mostly empty with some broken items laying out in the dirt where very little grass was visible. One lone tree stood at the center with its leaves being the only source of shade from the sun. After a few hours of what I thought was cleaning, I plopped down onto the hard dirt and got some relief under its branches.

When I looked closer, I saw a familiar stitched smile staring back at me. Elizabeth! I jumped up to my feet with excitement at seeing her. But just as quickly, my shoulders drooped at how high up she was. The trunk was way too wide for me to climb and I also couldn’t jump high enough. I spotted a plastic lawn chair overturned by the fence and dragged it so it was under the same branch. It helped me reach higher but not enough. Refusing to give up, I gathered more and more random items scattered around and stacked them all until it reached where I needed it to.

With a determined breath, I climbed up the makeshift mountain of junk and I reached up with all my might. My feet ached as I balanced my toes on the top of the lawn chair. Almost got it! Almost…just a little more! Suddenly, there was a loud _snap_ and then I was falling. I closed my eyes, prepared for the pain when I landed on the hard ground. Instead, two branches wrapped around my stomach and my back hit the tree trunk.

I let out a breath of relief and lifted my lids. Then I saw that the trunk was in _front_ of me and that it wasn’t branches holding me. They were two pale arms of a man. My eyes bugged out when I realized that someone was _holding_ me and I started to flail and panic.

“Hey, woah!” He said as I tried to wiggle out of his arms. “Easy, it’s okay! It’s okay!” He set me down on my feet and I scurried away to hide behind the tree. When I poked my head around, I got a better look at him.

He was tall! Almost as tall as the tree! Kinda skinny too. His eyes were black, almost like the hair on his head. He was wearing a black tank top and matching backpack with torn baggy jeans and hiking boots. Big ears on either side of his head with a matching nose. A couple of moles I wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t so light.

As I was looking him up and down, he kept his large hands up, I guess showing that he meant no harm. When he came a little closer, I inched back. “Easy,” he said again, this time slower. More calm. “I’m not gonna hurt you.”

My eyes narrowed in suspicion, “How do I know that?”

He blinked, confused. “I saved you didn’t I?”

Well that _was_ true. But still, I snorted. “You could be tricking me.” Then I gasped and pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You could be a bad man in disguise!”

“I promise I’m not.” He said, keeping his hands up.

I hid behind the tree again. “Then why are you wearing so much black?”

“Er...” He sounded almost shy, “I like black?”

“Bad guys always wear black!” I informed him. “Everyone knows that! Frollo, Maleficent, Cruella, the Headless Horseman, Chernabog―”

“Wasn’t he a demon?” He interrupted.

“So?” I went on. “Then there’s Hades!”

“Ummm, he’s blue.” He pointed out. “With _fire_ for hair. Come on, you know that’s cool!”

“Who wears black.”

“Actually, it’s more like a shade of charcoal.”

“He has black smoke instead of feet!”

“Well,” he paused, “What about Gaston from _Beauty and The Beast_? He didn’t wear black.”

“He had black hair!” I said in triumph. “Just like Scar!”

He snorted, “Ouch, he’s my favorite.”

“Ah-ha!” I shouted with triumph. “Bad guys like bad guys!”

“I’m not a bad guy!”

“Prove it!” I demanded. “I’m not coming out until you prove it!”

“Okay then, how?” Did he just laugh? “What can I do to prove that I’m not a bad guy.”

Hmmm, I didn’t think about that. I looked around. _A test. A test. What could I use for a test?_ My mind repeated until I caught a glimpse of my dolly still stuck in the high branches. “Get my dolly down from the tree and then I’ll believe you!”

“Ummm...sure.” He said. I hid a snicker. There was no way he could reach her! I had to find everything I could to stack up to where it was tall enough. With the chair broken, he couldn’t do it and then he’d have to leave.

Suddenly, red-colored yarn appeared in the corner of my eye and then I was met face-to-face with my precious toy held in his large hand. “Here you go.”

I grabbed her from his hand, stunned. “How did you do that?”

He was still on the other side of the tree when he explained, “Well, it wasn’t hard for me to reach it.”

“Her!” I corrected him.

He laughed gently, “‘Her’, excuse me. Anyway, I could reach _her_ very easily. I’m a lot taller than you.” I poked my head out again to glare at him. “Can you come out now?”

I kept glaring at him instead, “You tricked me!”

“Did not!” He exclaimed as I went back behind the tree. “You asked me to get it― _her_ down from the tree and I did. Don’t get mad because I could do it and you couldn’t.”

My jaw dropped, offended. “Oi!” I stomped out and placed my hands on my hips, my dolly still in my fingers. “I could’ve done it if the chair hadn’t broke!”

His face broke out in a big smile, “Ah ha! You came out!”

Realizing my mistake, I puffed my cheeks out and turned away. Crossing my arms and hiding my face from his view. He kept laughing while I glared at the fence. “Why are you here, anyway?” I asked, keeping my arms crossed and my eyes on the fence, refusing to look at him.

“Well, I saw a little girl about to fall from a good height, so I felt like playing hero.” He said as he came around and squatted down in front me. His eyes were kind and _not_ black. Looking closer, I could see that they were brown. I felt my scowl loosen from my face as I regarded him carefully. Those eyes dropped down to my knees and he frowned, “What happened?”

“Huh?” I looked down to see what he meant. Then I remembered the cut I got on my knee yesterday. “Oh that, it’s nothing.”

His frown deepened, “It doesn’t look like nothing.” He reached with his hand and I backed away again. “Does it hurt?”

“A little,” I admitted, embarrassed. It actually hurt worse than it did before. It looked worse too. The skin was red and the blood had already dried, making it crusty and painful to bend the knee.

“Did you show your parents?” He asked, his eyes still on the wound.

I shook my head. “They’re not here.”

“When will they be back?”

“I don’t know,” I confessed, feeling unnerved when I said it out loud. I had hoped they would come pick me up this morning. But they hadn’t shown up yet. When would they?

My thoughts were interrupted when he took off his backpack and sat on the ground. He unzipped it and pulled out a large glass bottle. I eyed the clear liquid warily. “What’s that?”

“Vodka,” he answered as he unscrewed the cap. “It’ll help clean up any germs that are on the cut.”

I looked down at my knee, alarmed, “There are germs?”

“Most likely,” he said as he rummaged through his bag some more. When he pulled out a shirt, he muttered to himself. “It’ll have to do.” Then to me, “Maybe you should sit down. It’ll be easier.”

I did as he said and looked at the bottle again. “What's Vodka for?”

“Drinking,” he said, then he stuttered, “But not for you! You can’t drink it until you’re twenty-one.”

“How old are you then?” I asked, curious.

He stiffened, “That’s not important.” He took the shirt and poured some of the liquid onto it. “I’m going to rub it on the cut, okay? It’ll sting for a little while but it’s better than letting it get infected. It will hurt a _lot_ worse if we don’t.” He reached for my leg and I flinched, scared. His eyes softened, “Hey, it’s okay. I just wanna help.”

I bit my lip, nervous. “You promise it’ll help?”

He nodded, “I promise.”

Normally, I didn’t trust strangers. But, I didn’t want the scratch to hurt any worse. Giving up, I looked away and gave a stiff nod. When he pressed the damp cloth to the cut, I whimpered.

“Sorry,” he said, but kept cleaning it. “I know it hurts.”

I shook my head and held tightly onto my dolly. I tried to be brave, “It’s not too bad,”

“Well, you’re very brave.” He appraised. “Out here alone in the heat. Why aren’t you inside?”

“They told me to stay out here and clean the yard,” I explained.

“Who’s ‘they’?” He asked and I didn’t answer. “We’ll get back to that. There! All done, see?”

I opened one eye to peek at it and it was better. It wasn’t dirty and the dried blood had been wiped off. He took the same shirt and tore it with his hands. Picking up one of the shredded pieces, he wrapped and tied it around my knee. “This’ll hold for now. The cut isn’t deep, which is what I was worried about, so that’s a good thing.” 

I looked at the makeshift bandage with wonder. “Thank you,” the cut wasn’t hurting as badly as it was a second ago anymore. There was a little sting but easy to ignore.

Once it was tight enough, he got back up to his feet and held his hand out to me. I accepted it, thankful as he helped me off the ground. Out front, I heard a car door slam and turned my head towards the sound. “You should go.”

His head turned to where I was looking, having heard it too, and his lips pressed into a thin line. “Thanks, but I wanna have a word with your family.”

“They’re not my family,” I informed him.

He paused for a moment and looked back at me, “Then who’s watching you?”

“No one,” I shrugged, “The people that live here left for work. Like I told you, they told me to stay out here and clean the yard. They must’ve just come back.” 

“Wait,” he stopped me, “The people that live here? This isn’t your house?” I shook my head. “If they’re not your family then who are they?”

“I don’t know their names.” I confessed. “My parents left me here.”

At that, he went stiff, “They _left_ you here?”

“But they’ll be back for me!” I said quickly. “They have to...right?”

“I wish I knew.” He looked at me with pity and came back down to my level, “Listen, I’m gonna leave for now. But, I’ll come back tomorrow okay?” I nodded and he patted my head. “Good. I’ll see you then. My name is Ben. What's yours?”

 _Don’t give your name to_ any _strangers._ He was the only person who’s been nice to me since I came here. Should I do it? I wanted to. He seems like he wanted to be my friend and I didn’t want to hurt his feelings. He helped my cut too. I let out a defeated sigh, “I’m not supposed to tell it to strangers.”

He nodded gently, “That’s okay. That’s smart! You’re a very smart girl. Now, I promise I’ll come back tomorrow. Try not to get any more scratches!” I watched in awe as he quickly climbed over the fence, out of sight.

He kept his promise. Every day for over a month. Each day, he’d climb over the fence and spend time with me in the backyard. Changing the bandage each day until it was completely healed. We’d just talk for the most part. At some point, he noticed that Greg and Tammy weren’t feeding me much because he noticed that I was getting weaker each day from malnutrition. Then started bringing me Lunchables and Smuckers sandwiches. I still didn’t trust him completely which was why he always brought me something sealed in a package to prove it hadn’t been tampered with. Even after all that, I refused to tell him my name. But he never pushed me. In the end, he became my only friend.

He told me that he was in town for the summer staying at his uncle’s house some few miles south of where I was. That his parents were making him stay there because they thought it would be good for him. He confessed that he got in trouble a lot. Usually fights in school. So they wanted to see if time away from the bad crowd he hung out with would help him. He admitted that he did love his uncle, but he didn’t like being told what to do. Yet, he found that he didn’t mind it too much since meeting me.

Each day that passed, I still wondered where my parents were. Some days I’d even ask him if he’s seen anyone resembling them. Eventually, I went to Greg and Tammy and implored them to find my parents. Or at least call them to come and get me. I must have cried and begged for hours before Greg finally snapped and hit me across the face. He then threw me out in the backyard and chained my ankle to the deck to teach me a lesson. I was left there all night and most of the next day. No food or water for eighteen hours in the middle of July in Utah. Normally I’d drink from the gardening hose but the chain prevented me from reaching. It was only a few feet away, but it may as well have been a mile.

That was when Ben found me. I’d gone under the deck to shelter myself from the rays of the sun. I barely remembered seeing him. After being out in the heat for so long I was in and out of consciousness. He’d called his uncle who told him to stay there and came straight over. Also warned him to not touch the chain until the police arrived, much to Ben’s chagrin. But his uncle convinced him that it would be best to leave it to prove that I had been, in fact, shackled by Greg and Tammy. While they waited, Ben desperately tried to keep me awake and hydrated. He pulled on the hose so hard that he nearly broke the outside tap as he rinsed me so I would stay cool and tried to get me to drink some of it. My throat had been so dry that it was near impossible to swallow without choking.

He kept me in the shade and never let go of my hand until the police finally came. His uncle had watched us through the cracks and when they showed up, he led them to us. They had cause to climb over the fence and called for an ambulance just as Greg and Tammy had turned into the driveway.

I vaguely remembered them trying to point the finger at Ben. Calling him a pedophile and trespasser. Luckily, the police were able to do the math. They freed me and then I was taken away by the paramedics while Greg and Tammy were being detained. Ben stayed with his uncle to be questioned. He asked them if he could ride with me so I wouldn’t be alone, but he was denied. The last I saw of him was through blurred vision of his tall and skinny silhouette before the ambulance doors shut and I passed out once more. 

At hospital, I was questioned by a social worker after I woke up. She asked about my parents and then Greg and Tammy. I told them all I knew and when she was done, I asked to see Ben. Telling her that he was my friend and that I wanted to thank him. She told me she’d “see what she could do” and then left me alone in the room. I was discharged a week later and then placed in foster care when they couldn’t locate my parents or any living family. Moving from state-to-state until I turned eighteen. I never did find out what happened to Ben. That was the last time I ever saw him.

Until many years later.


	2. A World Shattered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets into the nitty gritty details of her breakup with Hux. From preparing to start a family with the man whom she thought loved her...to homeless and alone.

**I don’t own Star Wars or any of their characters, they all belong to** ** _Lucasfilm_** **and** **_Disney._ ****Also Judge Lauren Lake is a real person and a real judge on her own TV show titled** **_Paternity Court_** **.**

****

The room was silent as I told the story of my abandonment and life in foster care. Some of it spent with a family and some of it in youth shelters. Neither had been very pleasant experiences. None of the foster parents I lived with showed me any genuine love or care. It didn’t take long for me to notice that I meant nothing to any of them. I was just a paycheck every month. I would smile for pictures to keep up appearances that I was “happy”. It wasn’t horrible. None of them beat me or starved me like Greg and Tammy had done. But they didn’t show me any kindness either. It was like this until I became of legal age.

As I spoke, the Judge listened very carefully to every word. Only stopping me when she wanted elaboration on certain details. I daresay that this was the first time I saw compassion from an authoritative figure of any kind.

But when I mentioned Ben, she stopped me, “Wait, when you say Ben, do you mean” She pointed to my fiance, “Mr. Solo here?” I nodded and she turned to him, stunned. “Mr. Solo, you knew her all this time?”

“No, Your Honor, not really.” I looked up at him as he shook his head, “The day she was taken to the hospital was the last time I saw her. I didn’t see her again until years later.”

“At least fourteen,” I agreed.

“But the two of you didn’t become involved while Ms. Niima was still with Mr. Hux, is that right?” She asked.

I shook my head with a frown, “No, I didn’t meet him again until after Mr. Hux had left me and we didn’t become involved until Alice was a year old.”

“So there’s no possibility that he could potentially be Alice’s biological father, correct?” She inquired.

“There’s no way,” I confirmed. “I was already sixteen weeks along when we crossed paths again.”

“Okay, well that rules him out.” She nodded encouragingly. “Continue, Ms. Niima.”

Now for the “fun” part. “What Mr. Hux said about the two of us meeting and dating in high school was true. It was sophomore year and he had just moved to Yonkers. I guess you could say that we bonded because we were both different from the other teenagers. Many of our peers teased him for his accent, just like they did me. Even though I was born and raised here in the States, I never lost my British accent. I think it had something to do with always being interested in my parents' homeland. I was always reading books and watching movies about the history and culture. I think it made me feel closer to my heritage...and I was proud of it. They’d moved here from the UK when my mum was still pregnant with me. So I knew what it was like, being called a ‘foreigner’.”

“So the two of you were high school sweethearts.” She concluded and we both nodded. “Give me your version of the relationship, Ms. Niima.”

“I guess you could say that we were like any other teenage couple.” I started with a shrug. “We started out as classmates, became friends and then later a couple. For a long time, it felt like us against the world. We were young, dumb and in love. He’s older than me by a couple of months so we had to wait until I became eighteen before we could move in together. And we did. We were together for a total of four years and lived under the same roof for only one year. I was in love with him, Your Honor. What he’s said about me being unfaithful, it’s not true.”

“Would you mind elaborating for me, please?” She asked.

“For one thing,” I started, “As far as me being out for hours at a time, like he claims, I was _working_ as a mechanic. As soon as I turned eighteen, I got my license and started working for a vehicle repair shop. I worked on cars, motorcycles, semi-trucks, and boats. It can be a very demanding job.”

She nodded, “Of course. So you _were_ working?”

“All the time.” I confirmed, then continued, “Later, I found out I was the only one working.”

Armitage turned sheepish when the Judge turned to him with an arched brow, “That true, Mr. Hux?”

“I was going through a lot at the time, Your Honor,” Was his lame response.

“Were you now?” The Judge asked, not impressed. “Alright, we’ll get back to that. Was there any other reason why you thought she was stepping out on the relationship?”

“She was around men all day.” He said, feigning disgust. “Every day, she’d look for excuses as to why she had to hang out with them.”

“I was the only woman working at the shop.” I pointed out. “Of course, there were a lot of men there. There was nothing romantic about it, we were all coworkers. The only hanging out we did was around an engine or toolboxes.”

“For twelve hours?” He pressed.

“Have you ever heard of a double shift?” I bit back. “I did a lot of those. Good thing or I wouldn’t have been able to afford the four months back rent that _you_ stuck me with.”

“What?” Judge Lake asked with newfound astonishment. “Mr. Hux, did you leave her with back rent?”

“Eh,” he gestured with his hand, “Not exactly.”

“Yes, he did and it gets worse, Your Honor,” I told her.

“Oh boy,” she rubbed at her temple, “This is gonna be a long one, huh, Jerome?”

“Looks like it.” The uniformed gentlemen replied with a look of pity.

“We’ll get to that in a minute. But for now, back to the paternity in question.” She folded her hands together and tilted her head thoughtfully, “Take me to the moment you found out you were pregnant.”

“I was in the middle of eating breakfast and all of a sudden I got very ill. Hit me like a ton of bricks.” My stomach twisted just thinking about it. “I’d had fish the night before and I thought maybe it was food poisoning so I went to hospital. They couldn’t see any other symptoms aside from me being sick. So they took a blood test and it came back that I was pregnant. They did an ultrasound and everything.”

She nodded, in understanding. “How did you feel?”

God, what didn’t I feel that day? “Shocked, scared, happy? It was a mixture of emotions.”

“Your Honor,” Armitage spoke, raising his hand, “She planned this! She told me she was on birth control.” He shrugged his shoulders as if it were obvious. “She obviously wanted money from me so she lied. How could she get pregnant if she was on birth control?”

“Well, Mr. Hux,” she shook her head as if she were trying to clear it. “It’s not entirely uncommon for birth control to fail. It can happen and it has before. Did you use condoms whenever you were intimate with Ms. Niima?”

“Er...no. I didn’t think it was necessary.” His ears turned into a shade of pink and he mumbled, “I believed that shot was fool-proof.”

“If you were that worried about being trapped with a baby, you should’ve taken every precaution necessary.” She explained, “Yes, the shot helps. But, you know what? Both partners using protection lowers those chances of unplanned pregnancies. You take extra measures, you get better results. Not only that but if you suspected that Ms. Niima was cheating, you should’ve done it to protect yourself in case she contracted any STDs. Did you think about that?”

I held back a smirk. _Thank you, Judge!_ I thought as I hastily went through the papers I’d brought in as evidence while they were talking and finally found what I was looking for and held it up, “Your Honor, I have proof here that I was taking birth control injections every three months. Receipts from that year. I didn’t have any insurance so I paid out-of-pocket at a clinic not far from where we lived at the time.” Then I pulled out another paper. “And this is the results of my test that showed high hCG levels in my bloodstream when I went in for food poisoning.”

“Jerome, hand me that evidence, please.” She told the bailiff. “I’d like to see it.”

The uniformed man came forward and I held out the papers to him to take and bring to the bench. “Here you go, Judge.”

“Thank you,” her eyes looked back and forth between the test and receipts. After a minute, she pursed her lips and nodded. “Yep, the dates coincide. It says that you were fourteen weeks pregnant. Were you given a conception date?”

I pulled out more papers and the bailiff accepted them all, “They estimated that I conceived somewhere between December 5th to December 9th and that I would be due in late August.”

“When did you inform Mr. Hux that you were pregnant?”

“I texted Mr. Hux as soon as I left hospital.” I explained. “I said that we needed to talk when I got home and that it was important. He said alright and that he’d meet me there. When I got home, I sat him down and told him I was pregnant.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing at first.” I said with a shrug, “I assumed he was shocked. Not that I blamed him because I was too since, again, I was on birth control.”

“I still don’t see how that’s possible, Your Honor.” He broke in.

“Mr. Hux,” she turned to him briefly, lifting up one of the papers I’d handed her, “We’ve already gotten past that. She brought valid evidence that proves her statement. Do you need to see these papers too?” He snapped his mouth shut and shook his head. “Continue, Ms. Niima” She encouraged me.

I proceeded with the story, “After he got over the initial shock, he seemed thrilled.”

She perked up, “Really?”

A firm nod. “Yep, he got really excited and even started making plans for what we were going to do. Setting up a corner in the bedroom for a nursery, bought some unisex clothes, toys, and bottles. He told me that I shouldn’t be around all the fumes and chemicals at work so he convinced me to quit and that he would cover everything until I could get back to work after the baby was born. We were getting ready to start a family.” I choked a little on that last part. “At least I thought we were until a few days later.”

“What changed?” She asked, sensing my quick change in mood. “You mentioned in your initial claim that Mr. Hux left you broke and homeless after you told him you were pregnant. Tell the court how that happened.”

_Two Years Ago_

The telly buzzed in the background as I lay back on the settee with a cold rag on my forehead. I’d just had another bout of morning sickness a couple of hours earlier and felt the need to relax for a bit. Barely noticing that I’d fallen asleep, which was happening a lot lately. Nausea and fatigue seemed to be going hand in hand during my first trimester.

I’d just quit my job the day before. Armi had convinced me that I shouldn’t be around all of the fumes while I was pregnant and that I could go back after I had the baby. My boss was understanding enough but he couldn’t guarantee me that there’d be an opening for me when I was ready to come back to work because he would ultimately need a replacement. I told him it was fine and that there was plenty of time from now until then for me to figure it out. Besides, Armi promised to take care of all our financials until then. He was so sweet. He even surprised me with a little stuffed teddy when I got home.

He’d left earlier this morning to run some errands and said he’d be back by tonight. So, I was enjoying some small time to myself.

I was woken up from my little nap when I heard a loud banging coming from the door. “Open up, this is your landlord!”

 _What the...?_ I got up from the bed and hastily made my way to the front door. One look through the peephole and it was indeed Mr. Cambridge, our landlord, red with fury. With shaking hands, I undo each lock and opened the door. “Yes, can I help you, Sir?”

His arms crossed as he gave me a once-over and when his eyes landed on my slight bump. He scoffed, “Rather bold of you, Ms. Niima.”

I blinked, confused. “I’m sorry?”

He held up a piece of paper and waved it in my face, “Recognize this?”

Perturbed, I took it from him and read it carefully. The head was in big bold letters saying ‘ **30** **DAY** **NOTICE TO VACATE** ’ with the reason of ‘ **UNPAID RENT** ’. I looked up to Mr. Cambridge and shook my head with denial, “This has to be a mistake. We’ve paid the rent every month on time for the last year!”

“You’re not fooling me, Ms. Niima,” he proclaimed, snatching the paperback. “You haven’t paid rent in _four months_ and I have given you more than ample time to pay what you owe. I will not play favorites with my tenants. Enough is enough.”

“I’ve never seen this before!” I exclaimed, my whole body beginning to shake with tremors. “Please, Mr. Cambridge, let me figure this out. I always give the money to my boyfriend and then he brings it to you as a money order.”

“Oh really?” He asked incredulously. “Has your ‘boyfriend’ brought you any of the receipts? I always have one ready on hand or leave it in your mailbox. Ever see one?” My shocked expression was his answer. “Right, your boyfriend isn’t here. Where is he now?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, feeling sick. For once, it had nothing to do with my morning sickness. “Can I call him?”

He shrugged, uncaring, “Do what you want, it’s your name on the lease. But I still want you and your stuff out of my building within twenty-four hours. If you are not out of here by this time tomorrow, I will call the cops and have you removed from the premises.”

“Please, Mr. Cambridge, I’ll get you the money.” I implored, desperate. “I’ve just found out that I’m pregnant and I can get a new job.”

“Oh, cry me a river!” He barked in an accusatory tone. “You shouldn’t be having kids if you can’t even afford to pay bills. You’re knocked up, that’s your problem. Not mine. I don’t believe for a second that you didn’t know about these notices. I think you feel entitled and you don’t have to pay for anything. You want everything done for you. No, I’m done being nice. If you can pay what you owe in back rent _right now_ , I won’t take this to court.”

“Me?” _Court? Is he joking?_ No, he wasn’t. He was dead serious. “How much do we owe?”

His face remained petulant, “$3,320 and you can guess that I’m keeping your deposit.”

God, I was going to vomit and I’d already done that twice today thanks to morning sickness. Instead, I nodded and took out my checkbook. What else could I do? Nothing, I was trapped. Thankfully, I’d saved enough. But my bank account was about to go from $5,234 to $1,914 in less than one minute.

“Don’t forget to sign it.” He reminded me as if I were a child. “I don’t trust you not to endorse it.”

I took it out of the book and handed it to him, “Here,”

He ripped it out of my hand, “Good, now pack your shit and get the hell out of my building.”

“Yes, Sir,” I didn’t shut the door until he turned the corner down the hall and was out of sight. My hands shook as I took out my phone and dialed Armi’s number. _There has to be a reason!_ I told myself. _He wouldn’t just leave me alone with this...right?_

He answered on the third ring, “ _Yeah,_ agra?”

“Armi,” I started, my voice trembling. “You need to come home right now. Mr. Cambridge just came here and screamed at me.”

“ _What about?_ ” He asked kindly, “ _Take a breath, Rey._ ”

“He said…” My breath caught and I tried again, “He said that the rent hasn’t been paid in four months. That can't be true, right? We’ve been splitting it and you told me you paid it each time. Do you still have the receipts?”

“ _Erm…_ ” He suddenly got quiet.

My pulse started racing, “Armi? You _do_ have the receipts, right? I gave you the money after each paycheck.”

It was a few seconds before he spoke again. “ _I don’t have the receipts with me,_ ”

“What? Why?”

“ _I…_ He paused again, “ _I never got any. Not after November._ ”

I had to sit down because my knees couldn’t hold my weight any longer, “Armi, why don’t you have any receipts from the last four months?” He didn’t speak. “Armi, answer me!” When he finally did answer, I thought I misheard. “Say that again.”

“ _I haven’t paid any rent since November._ ” He repeated to me. “ _We owed December through this month of April in payment._ ”

“How is that possible, Armi?” My hand came up to my chest to try and put pressure on my sternum so I remembered to breathe. “I’ve given you my half of the rent every month since we moved in. What happened to it?”

He sighed as if he were caught, dread filled me to the brim at the sound. “ _I spent it._ ”

“You…” I felt my hand slide up to my throat, “You what?”

“ _I spent the money, Rey._ ” He admitted, sounding upset. “ _I was going through some things and I needed it._ ”

“This isn’t happening.” I tried to convince myself as I kept the phone to my ear. “How could you not pay the rent for four months? And why weren’t we notified earlier?”

“ _We were,”_ he said quietly, “ _I hid the notices._ ”

“What!?” I yelled in outrage. “First you take my money for yourself and then you _hide_ the fact that we were behind on rent? Why that second part?”

“ _I didn’t want to stress you out!_ ” He admonished. “ _I knew you’d be upset! Just listen to you now!_ ”

“You didn’t want to stress me out?” I repeated, flabbergasted. “Are you joking? We’re being evicted, Armi! I’m plenty stressed and I’m also pregnant to boot! Oh God,” the nausea I was feeling was making me dizzy. “I’m pregnant and we’re about to be homeless. Armi, what are we going to do?”

“ _Well,_ ” He started slowly, “ _My parents understand and they’re letting me stay here. I’ve been here all day in fact._ ”

“Why are you there when you said you were going to be running errands all day?” I accused, followed by a groan. _Well, that’s just perfect._ His father was a prick and his mother was no better. “You know what? Nevermind! Well, tell them to expect another body, plus one.”

“ _Right, I wouldn’t do that._ ” He said slowly. “ _I don’t think they want to see you._ ”

My brows went up to my hairline, “Too bloody bad! I’m carrying their grandchild and their son has spent all my money. If they can give you a home, I’m sure they won’t mind you sharing that bed with me.”

He snorted, “ _Do what you will."_

 _Why is he acting like_ I’m _the one in the wrong?_ I asked myself instead of antagonizing him further. “What about your things?” I asked instead. Why was he acting so blase about all of this? Didn’t he realize that we were about to lose our flat? “Also the furniture and the baby’s things. What are we going to do with it all? And aren’t you going to help me?”

“ _Bring what you can._ ” He said, sounding impatient. “ _Just make sure that you get all of my clothes. I’m taking a snooze."_

“Now!?” Was he serious? “You’re going to sleep now? It’s the middle of the afternoon!”

“ _You take naps all the time!_ ”

“I’m pregnant, you twit!” I snapped back. Now I wanted to cry. _Damn hormones._ I was about to go mad! I had to take a few deep breaths to force myself to calm down. With the anger finally beginning to simmer down, I picked up a pad and pencil. “Alright fine, whatever. I’ll get your clothes. Was there anything else you wanted me to save? It all goes tomorrow and unless you plan on renting a U-haul, I’m not coming back to get the rest.”

He let out a long and tired sigh before he eventually went on, “ _My Xbox for one. Then there’s my films, video games, PSP, my autographed copy of_ The Beatles: Let it Be _...I think that’s all."_

I scribbled down each item he named on the notepad until he was done and I let out a gruff, “See ya,” and hung up. Throwing the pencil down with a loud _smack_ , I let my head fall into my hands and allowed myself a few tears. Just sat at the table and permitted myself a few minutes of self-pity.

Those few minutes turned into a full-blown hour and by the time I was finally done, I could feel that my eyes were swollen while the rest of my face was puffy and blotchy. With tears still running, I got up and started packing. Armi was the only one with a suitcase so I started with his things first. Putting his clothes and game consoles inside while his other more fragile items went into an old delivery box. By the time I packed all of his things, there was no room for mine. So, all of my things ended up in garbage bags. 

The worst part of getting our things out was the stairs. We were on the third floor, so I moved my 1997 Jeep Wrangler so it was right next to the first set of stairs. Armi’s suitcase had rollers, which was a huge blessing, but it didn’t do me any good when I had to walk down the stairs. It took me a total of four trips to get everything down. It would’ve taken me half that but I didn’t want to carry too much weight at once so I brought down one bag at a time.

Once all of the material items were successfully placed in the car, I went back up one more time to a final sweep. I tried not to cry as I looked around what had been our home for a year. I never wanted it to end like this. We’d talked about getting a bigger place after the baby got a little older. But we were fine here for the time being. At least I thought we were. 

No sense in stressing myself further so I went back to the task at hand. In the cupboards we had plastic dishes so, to conserve space, I let them be. We could always buy more later. His family was rich with china so there really was no need. I’d already gathered our toiletries from the restroom, so that was done. All that was left was the bedroom.

Both the dresser and the closet had already been emptied so I decided to check under the bed for anything I might’ve missed. Getting down on all fours, I lifted the comforter to check. Empty for the most part. A couple of socks, old receipts, a business card, and one pair of pants. Then something caught my eye by the head of the bed. I couldn’t really tell what it was so I got down on my stomach, mindful of my tiny bump, and reached for it. _Feels like a dog chew._ I pondered as I got my fingers around it. When I finally managed to pull it out, I turned it over and was left speechless. It was Elizabeth, my dolly. I looked at her stitched face and yarned hair in wonder.

My heart fluttered at the familiarity of holding her in my hand. I thought I’d lost her in the move here and was devastated. The only thing left from my childhood. She’s been by my side since I could remember. Growing up was a hard experience for me, but this little doll was the one thing that was a constant in my life. Different homes and different families, I always had Elizabeth.

I looked her over, impressed. She was in pretty good shape for being as old as I was. Of course, her color was faded and she was missing a few threads of her hair. Some of the strands had come undone and were stringy. But she was still mine.

Getting back up to my feet, I dusted myself off and put her in my handbag that still sat on the end table. Satisfied with the last sweep, I walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind me. I took the last trip down the stairs, hopped into my jeep, drove to where the landlord’s rent dropbox was, placed the apartment keys in an envelope, and dropped them in. With one last look at the building, I pulled out with a heavy heart.

Armi’s family didn’t live too far away. With light traffic, it only took twenty minutes. Today, it was a little busy on the freeway so it actually took me double that. I almost sighed with relief when I finally got onto their street.

After I pulled into his parents’ driveway, I took out the phone and called him as I pulled out his suitcase. It rang ten times before going to voicemail, making my annoyance resurface. “I’m here, Armi, help me with your stuff!” I hung up and threw my phone back in the car. I held the box in one arm and rolled the suitcase up the stairs to the wooden porch.

I placed them down and knocked on the door. There was no response at first so I tried again. Finally, the door opened and I was met with the disapproving face of my boyfriend’s mother.

I gave her my best polite smile, “Hello, Mrs. Hux. I’m guessing Armi has already told you about our...situation.”

“Yes, he has.” Her eyes went down to my stomach before they landed on my face, “So why are you here then?”

“Um,” My tongue felt heavy, already disturbed by her hostility. She never really liked me but this was a whole new level of disdain. “I’ve brought his things. Mine too. We need a place to stay for a while.”

She snorted, the look on her face showing disbelief, “And what makes you think I’d let a tramp like you into my house?”

I blinked once, stunned. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t play stupid with me! You know what you did!” She said, her eyes narrowed as she placed her hands on her hips, “You come to my home and expect me to just let you in after what you’ve done to my son?”

“What I’ve done?” I parroted back, still stunned. “I haven’t done anything!”

“Oh, yes you have! I know a vindictive woman when I see one!” She waved an accusatory finger at me. “And I’m going to tell you that you’ve manipulated my boy for the last time!”

“I never manipulated him, I love him!”

She shook her head with disgust, “You still lie.”

My knees started shaking while the box in my arms became heavier with every breath. “I want to talk to him.”

“No,” then she held out her hand, “Give me his things and then get off my property. You’re not welcome here anymore.”

I put the box down behind me instead and stood back up to my full height. My brow arched in open challenge, “Tell him to come down here and get it himself. If there is a problem, he needs to come down here to tell me because I am not leaving until he does.”

“I already told you no.”

If I went on with this woman any longer I was going to lose it. Instead, I looked up at the window I recognized as his room and shouted, “Armi! If you have something you’d like to get off your chest, then you better get down here and say it to my face!”

Mrs. Hux gaped at me, her face turning red. “You dare raise your voice in my house?”

“I’m not in your house, I’m on your porch.” I deadpanned.

“What part of ‘he doesn’t want to see you’ do you not understand?” She asked. “Do I have to keep telling you until you get a hint?”

“Oh, I understand. But, at this point, I don’t care what you say.” I shrugged with little interest. “Your _boy_ stole _my_ money, got _us_ evicted and I am carrying _his_ baby. He has some explaining to do.”

“Leave!”

“Not until he talks to me!”

Behind her, the man in question sluggishly came down the stairs. Barely dressed and his hair in a tangled mess. He yawned and rubbed the back of his neck, “What’s with all the shouting?”

His mother turned to him, “She won’t leave.”

“I have this, Ma.” He kissed her on the cheek, “I’ll take care of it.” He then turned to me. “Rey,”

“Armi,” I said slowly, “What’s going on?”

“Rey, don’t take this personally, but,” he let out a loud yawn. “I want to break up.”

I choked on my own oxygen at his words. Denial twisted in my stomach. “What?”

“It’s over, Rey,” he said flatly. As if he weren’t ripping my heart out of my chest.

“Armi, please,” My voice shook with despair, “Don’t do this to me. To _us._ What about the baby? I don’t want to raise it by myself! I need you!”

He snorted and crossed his arms, “What about it? It’s not my problem.”

I gaped at him, “Are you serious? It’s yours!”

“How do I know that?”

That made my heart skip a beat. He couldn’t mean...“What are you trying to say?”

He bobbed his head down towards my still-flat stomach. “That there’s no way that _thing_ mine.”

“‘Thing’?” I said back with outrage. “This ‘thing’ is your baby! You weren’t calling it a ‘thing’ when you bought baby clothes yesterday! And are you telling me that you think I cheated on you?”

“I don’t think you did, I _know_ you did.” He stated, “A girl as desperate as you would spread your legs for anyone. No doubt you’ve screwed every one of your coworkers. Your boss too.”

“I did no such thing!” I said, aghast.

He chuckled cruelly, “Then how do you explain getting a job at a mechanic’s?”

“Because I have a certified license!”

“So you keep telling me.”

“Because it’s the bloody truth!” I looked at him as if I were seeing him for the first time. “Armi, what is going on? Why are you acting like this?”

“I’ve already said it, Rey,” he said, his smile still there. “We’re done.”

“No,” I said immediately with a shake of my head. “Don’t do that.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “It’s best we go our separate ways. Things were getting stale anyway.”

“It wasn’t stale when you begged me for sex last week!”

“Did you give it?”

“I told you I wasn’t feeling well.”

“Not feeling well or too tired?” He asked mockingly. “Too many trysts with your mates at the garage? Or a good shag with Boss Man?”

“You insecure git!” My fists clenched so hard that My nails bit into my palms. “I find it funny that you're suggesting this right after I tell you that I’m _pregnant_ with your baby! It’s not my fault that the shot failed!”

“So you keep telling me.” He hummed and glanced at his nails, “Even if it was mine, I don’t want kids.”

My mind was in a whirlwind of panic and denial. Where was all this coming from? This couldn’t be happening! Armi and I were supposed to be starting a family together with our child. Now, here I was standing in front of the man I loved and I _thought_ loved me while he accused me of infidelity and has decided to break things off. 

Another thing occurred to me at that moment and I gawked at him with realization. “You were fired from the shop weren’t you?”

He pursed his lips, “I may or may not have taken an item from the go-back cart back in November.”

The bastard has been lying to me this _whole_ time! My eyes tingled but I sniffed back any tears that wanted to come forth. I would _not_ cry in front of him. He was not going to get the pleasure. Instead, I said calmly, “I want my money back.”

“Hmmm,” he tapped his chin as if he were pondering. Then with a ruthless smirk, he responded, “No.”

“Yes!” I finally snapped. I wrapped the collar of his shirt in my fist and yanked him forward so we were nose-to-nose. Relishing in the fear that appeared in his eyes. “You stole from me, Armitage! Remember? You admitted it over the phone that you took the money I gave you for rent and spent it on God knows what! You owe me!”

His expression cooled, “Have you any proof? It was you who handed me the cash.” I stiffened and he smirked. “Ah, that’s what I thought.”

“I could go to the police!” I said.

“Oh, and who do you think they will believe?” He asked, his tone of voice even more mocking. “Me, a young man from a kind and prominent family...or you? A little nobody who grew up in the system. In and out of homes her whole life. Now a young mother-to-be. It seems only too common that you would go against the lease that you signed on your _own._ You just didn’t want to pay rent. And now here you are threatening me in my own home. I may be within my rights to file an order of protection against you. You know, for my own safety.”

My hand loosened its hold on his shirt. Dread and anguish filling weighing heavy on my heart. Finally, I asked the only thing left, “Why are doing this to me, Armitage? Why? I have done nothing to you!”

He just shrugged, “It was fun while it lasted. But, I’m ready for something different.” His eyes roamed over me briefly. “Something better.” he picked up the box from the ground with one arm and grasped the handle of his suitcase with the other. “Have a nice life!” Then he kicked the door shut, slamming it in my face. 

I just stood there and stared stupidly at the door. As if it were to open back up and he would come rushing back out. Pull me into a hug and tell me he was joking and that he really did want to be a family. But it wasn’t going to happen.

Nothing left to do, I step away from the door, down the porch steps, and back to my car. I shut the driver’s side door and stared at the driveway in front of me. My hands clenched so tightly on the steering wheel that my knuckles had turned white.

I looked down at my stomach in hopelessness. “Oh, little one, I’m so scared. I don’t know what to do.” The moment I heard the little nectarine’s heartbeat, I was filled with overwhelming pride. I swore that I would do anything to protect it and here I was. Suddenly homeless and without its father! It wasn’t even born yet.

My head dropped onto my hands. I’d been pregnant for only fourteen weeks and I already felt like I was failing as a mother. But I couldn’t crack now. Not yet. Not in front of his house so his entire family can laugh at me. It’ll have to wait. Turning on the car, I cast one more regretful glance at the house before looking over my shoulder and backed out of the driveway. I switched gears, then drove off into the night. Alone.

* * *

I spent that night in my car at an abandoned parking lot. Also the night after. The whole time, I could hear people doing shady deals and transactions all around me. My car windows were all covered because I didn't want to risk any of them peaking inside. It didn’t make me feel any better. I’d never felt so unsafe in my life.

The third morning, I drove to the nearest convenience store. Picked up some snack meals and a newspaper after using the restroom. When I got back in my jeep, I nibbled at the food as I went over the “Help Wanted” section. I had to get a job ASAP. At least maybe that way I could stay at a cheap motel for a while until I could get another apartment. I shuddered with the knowledge that that was going to be difficult with an eviction on my record now.

There weren’t too many jobs that fit my level of expertise. Veterinary Assistant, Dentist, Housing Advertisement, Professional Painter, the list went on. Some server and hospitality jobs available. I guess I could do that. I didn’t have any customer service experience but I was willing to learn.

I kept skimming through the different jobs. Highlighting the ones that seemed best fitted for me. When I made it to the end, I spotted a familiar address on the listings. I sputtered, “You have got to be joking.”

* * *

My skin crawled all along my body as I drove down a familiar street in an area I hadn’t set foot in over a year. I’d spent most of my high school years in this neighborhood and there was a reason I never came back. On the outside, it seemed like a simple working-class neighborhood. But, in fact, the place was more sketchy than inside of a pencil box.

I drove a few blocks. Took a right, a left, two more rights, and then another left, and then I spotted my destination in the other bend. It was two side-to-side properties that have been merged into one single larger property. A large garage with a mechanics shop on the same lot with cars strewn as far as the eye can see. Some a little worse for wear.

I pulled into the sidewalk and put the jeep in park before hopping out. “Unkar!” I called out as I slammed the door shut. “Are you here?” The garage door was wide open and there was a loud _whirring_ sound, so if anyone was here then it was likely that they couldn’t hear me. I followed the noise into the garage and sure enough, there I saw the bottom half of a very large plump man sticking out from under an old pickup truck.

When the sound dimmed down, I tried again, “Unkar?”

The man stilled, stopping his work. Soon enough there was the sound of a tool dropping and then the man in question pushed himself from under the car and I was met with the face of the man I tried so hard to get away from. My former foster father’s eyes widened in recognition before lighting up with glee, “Well well well!” He forced the rest of his body out and stood up on his wobbly feet to stare down at me. “If it isn’t Rey Niima! Long time no see, _girl!_ ”

I kept my face blank, “Hello, Unkar.”

His answering grin made my skin crawl, “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Haven’t seen you in a year. What was it you said last time we spoke? You know, before you walked out and slammed the door behind you.”

“‘That I’m never coming back to this shithole even if it’s the last place on Earth.’” I said while watching his face grin with satisfaction.

He clapped with fake enthusiasm, “Well done, that’s it!” He stopped clapping and then crossed his arms. I didn’t miss his eyes going to my stomach. “Who knocked you up? That Hux character?”

“Yes,” I responded. Keeping my voice clipped. “We’re no longer a couple.”

He clicked his tongue, “Shame. That a baby should grow up without its father. Of course, you know all about that, don’t you?”

Same old taunts he’d use to provoke me when I was under his charge. He was still a prick. “I do,”

“What brings you here?” he finally asked.

I crossed my own arms, keeping eye contact. “I need a place to stay.”

He snorted, amazed, “Oh really?”

“Yes,” I feared that I was going to be saying that word a lot to him in the upcoming weeks.

“I have no room in the house.” He informed me. “All beds filled with new foster kids. You understand.”

“Don’t I ever,” I mused out loud. More paychecks for him. The house he spoke of was on the lot right behind the shop. A decent size with two stories and six bedrooms so I knew he had to have room somewhere. “What about the couch? The floor? Anything?”

“Well,” he rubbed his chin, “There is the shed out back with running water and electricity. But I’m not going to just give it to you.”

“Obviously, that’s why I’m going to work for you,” I replied evenly and his eyes bugged. “I saw your ad looking for a mechanic and I’m willing to work for less than _half_ the pay in exchange for lodgings wherever you can put me. You’ve had me work in your shop back when I was still living with you. You know I’m good with my hands and when I’m not working on the cars, you can send me to the junk heap to collect scrap and car parts.”

“Goodness,” he chuckled, “You _are_ desperate, aren’t you?”

Instead of giving him the satisfaction of a retort, I held my hand out, “Do we have a deal?”

“Oh, Rey,” he said so sweetly that I felt my teeth rot. He took my hand and shook it. “You know that I’ll always have a place at my shop for you.” When he let go, I fought not to rub my hand on my jeans. He pointed with his thumb over his right shoulder, “Shed’s this way.”

I followed him down a small path behind the garage. Kicking away trash as we walked at a steady pace. Finally, we stopped at a small wooden shack. Plutt pulled out his keys and undid each padlock on the door and opened it, “Home sweet home!”

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I stepped into the small space. It was pitch black until he pulled on a cord of a single lightbulb. When the interior came into view, I almost considered asking him to turn it back off. The room couldn’t have been any larger than 150 sq ft at most. Hardly any furnishings. There was a single bed at the far corner to the right. Small sink and toilet on the opposite end, a single counter right next to a mini fridge, and a telly that sat on a small table at the foot of the bed. Looked like I was going to have to rummage through my clothes in the trash bags because there was no dresser of any kind in sight. There wasn’t even a window or a stove. But there were at least two wall electrical outlets. I could get myself a hotpot or a microwave to cook meals.

It was absolute shite but it was either this or a women’s shelter. After witnessing what I have from youth shelters, the latter seemed like the worse of the two. So instead of hightailing it, I turned and gave what I hoped was a grateful smile, “Thank you, Unkar, this will do just fine.”

He grinned, showing his teeth that had yellowed from drink. “Your welcome! Here’s the key,” he dropped it in my hand. “You can move your things in today and settle in. Then you can start work in the morning. How’s that?”

“Sounds good,” I replied with dead enthusiasm. It wasn’t like I had much of a choice. “Can I park my jeep back here?”

He shrugged his shoulder, uninterested. “As long as it’s not in the way.”

“No problem.” I replied, “Then, I guess I better unpack.”

“I guess you should.” He chuckled and walked out to go back to the shop. “Welcome home!”

I ignored his jab and just went straight back to the sidewalk for my jeep. There was a good spot to park it right behind the shack. It also would be kept out of sight. I didn’t trust Plutt or any of his regulars not to try and make a quick buck on it.

Trash bags in hand, I walked into my new home and placed them on the floor in different corners of the room. I also brought in two plastic buckets from outside after hosing them down with the hose. There was no washer or shower in the shack. So it looked like it was going to be hand washing my clothes and sponge baths for me. Not ideal but not the end of the world. At least I would be able to wash my hair in the sink.

Which was the first thing I did. After sleeping in the car and having not had a shower in two days, I felt like I needed a good wash. I brushed my teeth first, twice. Then started to shampoo and condition my hair. I twisted it up into a bun on top of my head and then filled one of the buckets up with warm water. Took out a bar of soap and a washrag, then scrubbed until my skin was raw. Once I was satisfied with my hygiene, I dumped the water down the sink and watched some television. 

The day went by in a haze. At some point, I drove to the shops to get a microwave and some more food. Thank God it wasn’t expensive. At least I still had some money left to my name. I got back, set it up and immediately put it to good use. I treated myself to pizza pockets. Lots of them, feeling like I’d earned it. I could eat healthy tomorrow.

It was sometime around midnight when everything began to hit me at once. I’d been tossing and turning for over an hour, trying to get some rest. The mattress was better than the car but still not that comfortable. My thoughts had started to wander back to the last several days. My pregnancy, the landlord evicting me, discovering that my boyfriend of two years had been stealing my money while lying to me about the rent, doesn't want to be a father so he was denying that the baby is even is, turned his family against me even though they already didn’t like me, and then broke up with me. I was pregnant with his child and he left me with nothing but a shattered heart.

With the blankets up to my chin, I held Elizabeth to my chest and cried. I cried because I had once more been abandoned by someone that I cared about. My unborn child wasn’t wanted by its father. It was like my whole world had been torn apart. I didn’t see it improving any time in the near future either. I was trapped. The only thing for me to do now...was survive.

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave Kudos and a review and tell me what you think!**


	3. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's been working at Plutt's car garage for two weeks and now has to fix another mechanic's mistake. A part sold to Han Solo, who'd brought his son along to make sure he wasn't being swindled. But even though they've already met, they have no idea who the other is. For now...

**I don’t own Star Wars or any of their characters, they all belong to** ** _Lucasfilm_** **and** **_Disney._ ****Also Judge Lauren Lake is a real person and a real judge on her own TV show titled** **_Paternity Court_** **.**

_Two Weeks Later_

Staying in the shack on Plutt’s property was as bad as I predicted it would be. I worked twelve hours six days a week. He was kind enough to give me Sunday’s off because it was the only day the garage was closed. He fancied taking his foster kids to church every week to earn appraisal from the other parents and to show he was a God-fearing man. 

I remembered going while under his care. I didn’t hate it. I just didn’t think Christianity was the best religion for me. Personally, I preferred Buddhism. We were helping set up an annual sale for donations going towards a children’s hospital when I came across a copy of the Tripitaka. Only cost me a dollar and I still had it.

It was one of the few things I could salvage from the apartment. The now-faded cover was slightly torn and the spine was cracked from years of use. But it was my only copy and I didn’t have the heart to throw it away. Sometimes I read the stories out loud at night to calm myself after a tiring shift. Aside from meditating here and there, I didn’t really consider myself religious. But I liked reading the stories. Especially on days like this.

I’d just gotten back from the junkyard with several pieces of stainless steel scrap. Right now, I sat by the new pile while I scrubbed the rust off the rust with a steel bristle brush and some OxiClean. I was scrubbing so hard that I was sweating profusely. 

“Rey!” Someone called from the garage.

Startled, I looked up from the scrap I’d been cleaning and replied, “Yeah?”

“Get over here,” Plutt barked, “I need you!”

With a loud sigh, I dropped the alternator onto the ground and stood up from the uncomfortable milk crate. Wiping the sweat from my brow, I walked in through the back door to see Plutt with his hands on his hips as he regarded two male customers. One older than the other like a father and son duo. Actually, the closer I looked, the more related they looked. But there was something about the younger gentleman that seemed almost familiar.

Both had to be over six-feet tall. The older man was glaring at Plutt with his arms crossed over his chest. There were lines on his face that said he’s seen a battle or two. Possibly a war veteran or something of that nature. Impressively fit for a man of his age. Clearly, he kept in shape. He wore a light button-down collared shirt with faded jeans with a drawstring bag slung over his shoulder.

The man next to him had a just as powerful a presence. Handsome too. His black hair was swept back from his face and there was so much of it. Not everyone can pull off hair at that length, but he was definitely owning it. It framed his face and hung over his ears, passed his neck and almost reached the tops of his shoulders. Large plump lips that looked soft to the touch. I could also see through his leather jacket and linen shirt that he had a good amount of muscle on him. He’d taken a seat on one of the foldout chairs while he listened to the two others argue back and forth. His expression was so serious that it made him look even more intimidating.

Oh, they were definitely related. I could see it in their eyes. Both of them had the same brown eyes. The younger man had them hidden behind retro square sunglasses that had slid down his large nose. I was already intimidated and I haven’t even spoken to them yet.

With what I hoped was a welcoming smile on my face, I asked, “What’s up, Unkar?”

“I’ll tell you what’s up!” The gruff older man said, holding up a piece of metal. “Your boss sold me a faulty crankshaft recommended by one of his mechanics!”

“All of my parts are top quality!” Plutt rebutted, defensive.

The older man dropped the crankshaft onto the counter with a loud _clang_. “I’ve seen your junk pile out back, Plutt. I’m not giving you another dime until I get what I paid for! If you don’t own this, I’ll see to it that you’ll never get business again. Got it?”

While Plutt continued to sputter nonsense, I wordlessly picked up the offending object to examine it. Neither of them even noticed that I pulled out a magnifying glass to assess the damage. Sure enough, at closer inspection, I could see what the man was referring to. “Unkar, this crankshaft is cracked.”

All eyes landed on me in amazement. Yay. In my peripheral, I could even see the younger gentleman peek at me over the bridge of his sunglasses. Instead of shaking under their stares, I hold up the piece to my boss to show him the damage. “See? Right there.” I handed it to him so he could look at it while I turned toward the customer. “Who sold this to you?”

He shrugged his shoulder, “Some guy named Teedo.”

“Teedo, eh?” I shot a knowing look at Plutt. Teedo was another one of his mechanics and a lousy one at that. He cut corners wherever he could and had no problems selling faulty parts if it would earn him an extra buck. Not that he could tell a bad part from a good one. “Why does that not surprise me?”

“See, Rey here is one of my best.” Plutt improvised. “Knows the ins and outs of every car part you can think of. Quality before quantity always. She can find you a newer and better piece and it’ll be free of charge.”

I fought to keep my eyes from rolling out of my head. He was as humble as he was genuine. Phony. Areshole was going to take the cost of the replacement out of the little pay I already wasn’t making. No doubt. 

But, a deal’s a deal. So I put on a fake smile and say, “I’ll happily get you that part Mr…?”

“Solo,” he finished, holding out his hand. “Han Solo and that’s my son Ben.”

The man in question stood up from the chair and offered his hand as well. _Ben...I know that name. I know it. Where have I heard it?_ “Nice to meet you both.”

 _Oh, yes, he is much more intimidating up close._ I thought as I shook both their hands, keeping the smile on my face. “You as well. So, another crankshaft. Anything else while I’m back there?”

“No, but do you mind if I send Ben back there with you?” He asked, nodding towards his son. “No offense, but I trust Plutt here just about as far as I can throw him. Ben knows what I’m looking for and I trust his judgment.”

As he spoke, the man in question tucked his large hands into his pockets while he looked me up and down. I couldn’t tell if he was sizing me up or what but his intense stare was making me a little uncomfortable. It was almost like he was trying to place me. Which made no sense because I’ve never met this man before...I think.

“Doesn’t bother me.” I shrugged my shoulders, pretending it didn’t bother me that a mountain of a man was going to peer over my shoulder while I looked through parts. No, instead I waved him over. “Right this way. It’s back here.”

He came around the counter and silently followed me out the door that led out back where all the scrap and car parts were. Each of his footfalls were so loud that I had to try and not speed walk to make some distance between us. He was so tall that even his shadow looked intimidating.

“They’re right over here by the workbench,” I told him, In the corner of my eye, I could see his shadow tower of mine. There was _something_ familiar about him but I couldn’t figure it out for the life of me. Maybe I did know him from somewhere. He seemed to recognize me too. But from where?

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard him snort in disgust. I looked over my shoulder to see him glancing around with an odd look on his face. He’d pushed his sunglasses back up, so I couldn’t read his eyes anymore. But the curl of his upper lip told me that he didn’t like what he saw.

I dared to ask. “Something wrong?”

“It’s just…” He paused and then crossed his arms as he kept looking around at the piles. “How can you find anything in all this crap?”

 _Oh, that voice! I could listen to him talk all day about nothing!_ I chuckled to hide my swoon at the deep richness of his words, “There’s a place for everything and everything in its place. You just have to work with what you have. It takes a special skill to sort through it all but I happen to be a part of the few that can. I’ll find you a crankshaft in no time.”

“I don’t see how.” He mused while he followed me to the workbench.

I ignored him and pulled out the box of crankshafts that sat beneath it. Grabbing the first two, only to throw them towards the scrap pile. These were definitely more of Teedo’s pickings. Most likely he just picked out the cheapest parts from a dealer to save money, not realizing that they were more than likely obsolete. Luckily the third one I picked out was in working condition. A couple of scratches but it was usable.

“Here we are.” I held it up for him to see. “Have a look.”

Intrigued, he took it from me and looked it over carefully. He pulled off his sunglasses and placed them on his head to see better. He looked it up and down for a few seconds before he nodded. “Yeah, it looks good.”

I held my hand out to him once more, “How about as a sign of good faith I clean it for you?”

He blinked, surprised, “Really?”

I nodded, “Sure! I mean,” I gestured behind me. “All the tools are here and you were given a faulty part prior to this. Let me make up for my coworker's bad judgment.”

“Huh,” he said with slight hesitation. Then he handed it back to me. “Alright, do your magic.”

I take it with a real smile this time, “Will do!”

He kept his stare on me the entire time while I rummaged through the box of cleaning supplies. I picked out a small stainless steel wire brush from the bottom and then grabbed the bottle of car cleaner on the shelf followed by some protective goggles and a p100 mask along with my gloves.

His eyes bugged out of his head as he watched me pull the strap over my head and adjust it to my face. “Why do you need that?”

I’d already had the red straw pointed at the spot that needed to be cleaned and froze. I felt a flutter in my stomach at that same instant and I didn’t know if it was butterflies or the little fruit of life that was incubating in my womb. _Crap!_ Should I tell him the truth? What would he do if I did?

He waited patiently as I stood there stupidly at a war with myself. “Look, I’m not trying to get you in any trouble.” He said gently. No doubt he could sense my discomfort. “But is there a reason why you need to wear a mask when you’re just cleaning a car part? Do you have asthma or something? I’m not judging you, I’m just curious if your boss knows.”

“It’s not asthma,” I said, muffled through the mask and sprayed the cleaner. “And my boss knows about my condition. We have an arrangement.”

“What’s your condition?”

I kept my focus on the scrubbing while I spoke, “I’m pregnant.”

“Oh,” Was all he said, his eyes immediately dropped down to my stomach. Then it was silent. All you could hear was my insistent brushing.

It only took me only about ten more minutes of brushing before I was finished. I daresay that it was some of my best work. I took off the mask before I handed it back to him. “Here you are.”

He accepted it and looked it over once more, impressed. “Nice job.”

“Thanks,” I said quickly before backing away, wanting to make some distance. “Think you can find your way back? I have more work that needs to be done before we close.” It wasn’t a _total_ lie. I did have to finish the rest of the scrap but it wasn’t like I couldn't finish it tomorrow. I just needed to be alone before I started crying in front of a complete stranger.

Thankfully, he got the hint. “Yeah, no problem.” Then he smiled. “Thanks again.”

I just waved and left in the other direction. I didn’t even turn to see if he did find his way back. I’d just needed a minute alone. Bringing up my pregnancy had me start thinking about Armitage and our breakup. It’s been two weeks and the sting of it still felt fresh. Every day I spent here was just another reminder that I was going to raise this baby by myself. Then I was left homeless and broke. Well, I did have some money but it wasn’t enough to live off of. Not by a long shot.

My hormones had me crying before I even made it back to the milk crate. I picked back up the brush and scrap then scrubbed through waterfalls of tears and a runny nose. Luckily, Plutt handled the front of the house for the remainder of the day just fine on his own. Didn’t need me for anything else so I just stayed hidden in the back where no one could see me.

I didn’t even notice it getting dark until Plutt called me to close up shop. He would leave around eight-thirty at night after counting the till and I would turn everything off and bring down the garage door. As I was pulling on the chain, I noticed a black Chevrolet Tahoe sitting at the corner of the street. Normally something like that wouldn’t bother me, but in this area, there was not a single car in this neighborhood that didn’t have some sort of imperfection. This car was spotless. No dents, nice paint, visible tags, and brand new plates.

The car was facing in the direction of the shop and when I paused to look, I saw movement in the front seat. Like someone ducked behind the stearing wheel. I started to pull on the chain harder until the overhead reached the ground with a loud thud, brought the car lift down, put all the tools away, made sure the security system was switched on, turned out the lights, locked the door, and sped towards the shack.

I was in such a rush that I didn’t see my foot hit something hard, causing me to trip and fall. Thanks to my quick reflexes, I was able to make sure I landed on my bum and not my stomach. After dusting myself off, I looked to the offending object and let out a curse. _Teedo, I am going to wring your bloody neck!_ The moron left his toolbox out and when I tripped over it, it spilled most of its contents onto the ground.

“Really? Now?” I yelled at the toolbox as if it would respond. I was tempted just to let everything sit there since Teedo has never done anything to help me. Not even when I was still under Plutt’s charge. But I decided that I wasn’t going to be petty and went to the workbench for the flashlight. Luckily, there weren’t too many loose screws or drive sockets strewed around but all of his wrenches had fallen out and grumbled to myself the entire time.

Once that was done, I heard the sound of a car door slam in the distance. I froze. It was the Tahoe. Had to be. Someone had been watching me and now they were headed this way.

 _Freaking heck!_ I kept my head low and tiptoed back towards my jeep. At least that way, I could drive off if it got too dangerous. Not to mention that it could take a better beating than the 150 sq ft shed I was living in. I got to my jeep, felt around in my pockets and cursed again. I’d left the bloody keys in the shed!

I could hear someone getting closer. They were almost on top of me! Quickly hiding behind some boxes, I peeked over to see if I could get a glimpse at the intruder. I was expecting to see someone wearing a black hoodie and a ski mask skulking around the workbench or back door of the shop. What I wasn’t expecting was losing my footing and falling backwards against a hard surface. Nor was I expecting it to be a hard torso with arms attached that wrapped around my middle.

I could feel the panic surge. _My baby! Don’t hurt my baby!_ My protective instincts boiled over and my arms were still free. I brought my elbow down hard, hitting whoever it was right in the stomach.

Whoever it was, let out a pained grunt and released me long enough for me to swing my arm around and punch him right in the face. He fell back against the door of my jeep before falling into a heap on the ground. “Ow!”

Son of a bitch, I recognized that voice. “You!” 

I switched on the flashlight and shined it right in his face. Ben Solo came into view and moved to shield his eyes. “Ah! Alright already, I surrender!”

“What the hell are you doing back here?” I demanded, switching the light back off. “And what business do you have sneaking up on me like that?”

“I wasn’t trying to sneak up on you, I swear.” He said as he rubbed his jaw. “You seemed pretty upset earlier and I felt like I should apologize to you. I didn’t know when your shift ended so I just sat in my car and waited. You never came out. Not even with the shop closed down. I saw you close the overhead but then that was it. After about thirty minutes, I got worried and decided to make sure that you were alright.”

“How chivalrous.” I scoffed. “As you can see, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Yeah, no kidding. You got a good elbow and a nice right hook.” He said with a pained chuckle. “But back to my point, why haven’t you left yet? Wouldn’t you rather be home?”

I crossed my arms with an annoyed huff, “I am home!”

He gaped at me, “You mean you live in the shop?”

I shook my head and took hold of his arm to help him up, “No, back here in the shed.”

He looked over towards it as he got up to his feet. His mouth dropped in shock, “You live in that?”

“It’s not so bad,” I snorted, wiping off the dirt on his shirt. “Beats having nothing.” Then I paused when I noticed his jaw starting to bruise. _I guess I hit harder than I thought._ “That looks bad. Come inside, we should put something cold on it.” I pulled him towards the door and unlocked it. I beckoned him in after I switched on the bulb and put a bucket upside down. “Have a seat.”

He had to duck his head to get in through the threshold he was so tall. When he entered, he looked around the interior, taking in the lack of furnishing and trash bags, before he took a seat on the bucket. He looked at me thoughtfully when I took out a bag of frozen peas and pressed it to his skin. 

I smiled when he let out a sigh of bliss, “I’m sorry I hit you. When I’m startled, I tend to react with my fists instead of my head.”

“I’m sorry too.” He murmured, “For this afternoon and for startling you. It wasn’t my place to butt into your business and the last thing I wanted was to make you cry.”

“You didn’t make me cry, my hormones did. As for sneaking up on me, I accept your apology. And to be honest, even for a guy who scared the daylights out of me, you’re the most decent person I’ve spoken to in a long while.” This was true. I felt oddly comfortable around him even though I didn’t know him. “In fact, you’re the only person. I don’t have any friends and it was just me and my boyfriend for the last few years.” My other hand went to my stomach, “Now it’s just us.”

He tilted his head, curious, “Where is he now? The father.”

I bit my lip, breaking our eye contact. “Moved back in with his parents. He’s decided that he doesn’t want to be a dad.”

“Asshole,” he muttered with a hiss and nodded in agreement. Then his eyes went down and a furrow formed between his brows, “Is that a ragdoll?”

I looked down to see that he was referring to Elizabeth. “Yeah, I’ve had her since I was a kid. Her name’s Elizabeth. After Queen Elizabeth.”

“Really?” He asked, suddenly more animated. “I feel like I’ve seen it before.”

“Her,” I corrected and looked over her aged appearance. “And I doubt that.”

“No,” his voice had gotten quiet as he reached for the doll and held her in his hand. He played with her yarned hair, “I remember a little girl I used to know when I was a teenager. She had a doll like this. Told me that one was a ‘her’ too. Gave me a good scolding about startling her too.”

I couldn’t help but laugh, “What did you do to the poor thing?”

“I helped her!” He said with insistence. “She was trying to get her doll out of the tree and fell down. I grabbed her before she could hit the ground. She started freaking out and made me drop her and she hid behind the tree.”

I froze in my movements, “You said she fell trying to get her doll?” He nodded, his eyes meeting mine. “What was her name?”

“She never told me.” He admitted, looking back at the doll. “No matter how hard I tried, I don’t think she ever fully trusted me. Not that I could blame her, she didn’t ever feel safe enough to let her guard down.”

“That’s not true,” I said slowly as tears filled my already stinging eyes. “You said your name is Ben, right?” He nodded stiffly. “I knew someone with the same name when I was little. I thought he was bad because he wore a lot black and had black hair. He saved me when I was falling from a good height reaching for that doll there. That wasn’t all he did. He also used some kind of alcohol to clean a cut on my knee. What was it again?” I thought for a moment. “Tequila?”

“Vodka.” He choked out, his own eyes getting moist. “Soaked it with an old shirt and used it as a makeshift bandage because I didn’t have any real ones on me.”

I nodded, smiling as the memory got clearer. “Yeah, that’s right. He told me I was too young to drink it.”

“Damn right, you were!” He said, his face turning serious. “What were you? Four?”

“Five,” I admitted with a pained chuckle. “How old were you? You were no twenty-one-year-old yourself.”

He ran a hand through his hair to rub the back of his neck, “Yeah, definitely not. I was fifteen. That was fourteen years ago. After all this time, I never stopped wondering what happened to that little girl I met in that backyard.” Then he rested his hand on my cheek, his thumb wiping away a tear as he looked deep into my eyes. “Is it really you?”

I wiped at my nose and nodded, “Yeah, Ben, it’s me.”

The next thing he did took me by complete surprise. One moment, we were both sitting and facing each other, then the next; he’d pulled me against him and wrapped his long arms around me. His nose buried itself into the crook of my shoulder as he choked back a sob, “I can’t believe it’s really you after all this time! I never forgot about you. Not once!”

“Me neither,” I smiled through my tears and wrapped my arms up under his to grasp his shoulders. My chin rested on his neck when I spoke, “When I woke up in hospital, I asked them if I could see you to say ‘thank you’ and they never got around to it. At first, I thought that maybe it was because you didn’t want to see me.”

“Never!” He exclaimed, pulling away so he could look me in the eyes again. “Of course, I wanted to see you! All they did was tell me that your condition improved and that they would be in touch with social services if they couldn’t find any family. I even begged my parents and my uncle to pull some strings but their hands were tied.”

I giggled and pulled away to reach for a tissue and blow my nose. I offered one to him and he took one, grateful. We both laughed with each other for a minute before I gestured toward the tiny refrigerator. “Can I offer you some pizza rolls?” I reached into the freezer and pulled out the plastic bag filled with the tiny frozen appetizers. Then again, he’d just told me he owned a gym. I didn’t think he got all of those muscles from eating junk. “Unless you don’t like pizza rolls. Do you?”

“Are you kidding?” He crossed his arms and gave me a knowing smirk. “I can eat an entire box in one sitting. Bring ‘em on!”

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding and popped a plateful of them into the microwave. While the timer counted down, I suddenly felt a little exposed and looked at him, “I’m sorry I don’t have anything else to offer. I mostly eat tv dinners and whatever else doesn’t need a stove or oven to be cooked. So nothing’s fresh.” 

“It’s fine,” he assured me. “Maybe we could catch up a little and when you’re ready, you can tell me why.”

“Sure,” I didn’t mean it. At all. I wasn't interested in sharing my life story. Great, our reunion had already gotten awkward.

Luckily, he was the first to break the ice, “You still have the accent, hmm?”

“What?” That was an odd question.

He chuckled and put the peas back to his face, “Your British accent. I half expected for you to lose it as the years went on. But I noticed you still talk with it.”

“Oh, that.” My cheeks turned crimson. “Yeah, I still have an accent. People kept mentioning it and when I saw period movies that took place in England, I felt that I should try and keep that sense of pride for my heritage.”

“I think it’s great,” he said with appraisal.

The microwave dinged, thankfully cutting off whatever response I could formulate at that moment. I knew he was going to ask me again but he couldn’t ask anything if his mouth was full. “Here you go! I’d give them a minute because they’re roasting.” I poured them from the hot plate into a small bowl and placed it on my makeshift table. Which was, in fact, a tiny stool. Make the best with what you have.

Luckily, he didn’t comment and he just waited patiently for them to cool before he popped one in his mouth. He chewed with a thoughtful smile the whole time, “Sometimes you can’t beat an old fashioned packaged pizza roll. Sometimes it’s the crappy snacks that make you feel the best.”

“Amen to that,” I said with a mock salute and we clinked our respective rolls. “This is my only vice really. I’ve cut down on most of my junk food intake since I found out I was pregnant. These little bastards have become my best friends.”

“Yeah, you said you don’t have any friends. That ends right now.” He said with earnestness. “I’m your friend and I haven’t stopped being your friend. You changed my life and I was the one who wanted to show my gratitude.”

My eyebrows reached to the top of my hairline, “I changed _your_ life? How?”

“More than you think, Rey.” He took a hold of my hand and stroked his thumb across my knuckle as if he were trying to convince himself I was real. “I was going down a nasty path. Petty theft was one. That and I was getting into fights in school with other students and even some teachers. I’ve been suspended more times than I can count. My parents were stupid rich and well known to the community. My dad founded his own airline and my Mom is a member of congress. Well,” he paused and a dark shadow flickered on his face, “She was. She died six years ago.”

“Oh,” I reached up to brush away some hair that had fallen over his eye. “I’m so sorry.”

He sighed, no doubt he still carried some of the grief from the loss within him. “It’s alright. I was able to make up for all the crap I put her through in my teens thanks to you.”

“Again, how am I the reason?” Flattery wasn’t something I was used to. Especially if it was in regards to someone’s supposed success.

For a moment he didn’t say anything. As if he weren’t too sure on what right words to use. Then finally, he said, “After I watched you be taken away in the ambulance, my uncle pulled me aside and told me that I probably saved your life. That had I not shown up when I did, you may have very well have died of heatstroke. Not gonna lie, I almost punched the shit out of those assholes when I heard them admit how long they'd chained you up. The cops threatened to detain me if I didn’t calm down and they told my uncle to take me home. I couldn’t sleep that night. Images of you lying there soaked to the bone with sweat kept appearing in my head and I ended up wandering into the living room to watch tv. The noise woke my uncle up and instead of telling me to go back to bed, he sat with me and we talked.”

“Did you not talk to him much?” I asked, slightly curious. “My memories from that time are a bit fuzzy but I do remember you saying you didn’t like being there.”

“I think it was more about thinking that my parents couldn’t handle me so they dumped me with him. He’s my mother’s twin.” He explained gently. “Looking back, I can see why. I was a nightmare back then. Always angry and always picking fights with someone. But my uncle helped me figure out a way to channel my anger. He owned a gym in town and brought me to work with him one day. He told me, ‘If you want something to hit, hit a punching bag. But if you really want to hit someone’s face, go for old Johnny here.”

“He let you hit a member?” I asked, flabbergasted.

His head fell back and he let out a loud laugh, “No, it was a punching dummy. The ones with a whole eight-pack torso and a head.”

I let out a relieved breath, “Oh, okay phew!”

He chuckled before continuing. “Anyway, I started going every other day to work out. At home, he told me to make a list of everything that made me mad and when I say everything I mean _everything_. Sent me back to my room twice when he didn’t think the list was big enough. After that, he made me take each of those things that made me mad and write why they made me mad.” He wiped his hand down his face and kept the lower half-hidden to keep me from seeing his reddened cheeks. “I felt like an idiot. Like he was forcing me to sit in summer school. But, as I wrote those reasons down, I began to learn more about myself.”

“He seems like he knew what he was doing,” I said with genuine interest. “Was he a therapist?”

“No,” he lowered his hand. “He lost his parents while he was in college. Car accident. The last time he saw them was the day he left. He’d gotten into a fight with them about his choice of college. They wanted him to go to Fordham University and he wanted to go to NYU. Never spoke to them again. He never forgave himself for not being the bigger person and calling them on the phone. It was always my mom sending messages back and forth for two years.”

“So when you went to live with him…” I started. 

“It didn’t take a genius to see that I was fighting with my own parents. When they couldn’t figure me out, they thought my uncle could. But I wouldn’t talk to him. I felt abandoned and―”

“Unwanted?” I offered. Flashes from my own childhood resurfacing after so long.

He gave me a look of pity and nodded, “Yeah. Anyway, when summer ended, I asked my parents to let me stay with my uncle and go to school there until I graduated. I felt like I had a place at the gym. I felt balanced for the first time in forever and I didn’t want it to end. It also turned out that I didn’t hate spending time with my uncle. So I moved in with him that school year. I’d fly home to my parent’s place in New York after school on Fridays, spend the weekend with them and fly back to my uncle’s Sunday nights. Kinda like boarding school. Best decision I ever made in my life. I became a better person and I grew as a man. I went to school and got my Masters in Business Administration. While I was there, I tried mixed forms of martial arts and even came up with some of my own maneuvers. I bought an old rundown warehouse and fixed it up into a multistory gym. Solo’s Martial Arts Academy is what I called it.”

I perked up. “Oh! I’ve heard of it! I knew your last name sounded familiar but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I think I’ve driven by that building a few times when I’ve done jobs in the city.”

He grinned, “I even started a nonprofit organization for kids and teenagers that were like me. Angry but with nowhere to go with all of that excess energy and wanting to fight everyone. The program is for kids that can’t afford their own classes. After school, three days a week for six weeks each season. It’s not for everyone but it does help. There’s a trial period. They try the first week, if they like it, then they can choose to finish the program. As long as they kept their grades up. It’s meant to be a motivator, not a distraction. If their grades didn’t improve or got worse, they’re cut from the program until the next season. Then they can try again.”

“Wow,” What else could I say? Then I chuckled, “I wish it was a thing when I was still in school. I would’ve loved to go.”

That made him pursue his lips. “How long have you been in New York? And how did you get here from Utah?”

“About five years,” I said, doing the math in my head. “Unkar was my last foster parent and he took me on during my freshman year in high school. My ex and I stayed in Yonkers after graduation and got an apartment. Well, _I_ got an apartment. He didn’t put his name on the lease.”

He frowned, “Why didn’t he if you two were living together?”

I put two rolls into my mouth and chewed my frustration for a second before answering, “He didn’t want to be on the hook in case anything went wrong and it did. I guess he got fired from work some time in either late October or early November because, according to the landlord, the rent hadn’t been paid up to March.” I took a breath and kept going. “It was my understanding that when I handed him the cash from _my_ paycheck for _my_ half of the rent, that he was taking it and giving it to the landlord every month. Turned out that he’d been swindling me for four months and put my money in his back pocket for his own personal use. Oh yeah, I found out all of this only a few days after I learned I was pregnant.” 

My head dropped into my hands when I felt that familiar pressure in my eyes. “I was so scared. I’d been taking the injection for a while and it never failed before.” I barely even noticed that Ben had moved from the bucket to sit next to me on the mattress. His arm came around my shoulder so he could rub my arm in a comforting manner. Patiently waiting for me to continue. “When I told him, he seemed like he was happy to be a father. Then after I got yelled at and kicked out by the landlord I went to his parent’s home, thinking they'd let the person who was carrying their grandchild stay, only for him to dump me at the door.”

His hand kept stroking my arm and I lifted my head to read his expression. I was expecting to see trepidation or impatience on his face. But instead, I was met with empathy and warmth. He was actually paying attention to what I was saying and waiting for me to keep going. It was as if he knew I was dying to unload everything I was feeling.

So, I decided to let it all out to the only person who would listen. I cleared my throat, and let it out, “He’d convinced himself that I lied about being on birth control, got pregnant on purpose and that I’d been cheating on him with my coworkers. I know you can’t judge what’s happened based on what I’m saying, you weren’t there. But the only other person that was in the room when I conceived this baby was him! Now, I have an eviction on my record, little money, pregnant, and living in a shed. I’ve been here for two weeks.”

His other hand came up, cutting me off. “So you’ve got some shady deal going on with Plutt so you can live in here?” I nodded, “I’m not trying to judge you, Rey, but why not go to a women's shelter?” 

I shuddered, “Being in the system, I’ve seen what happens in youth shelters. They weren’t all bad, but for the most part, they weren’t up to par. After what I've seen there, I do not want to take a risk by going to one for adults.” I gestured to our surroundings, “I can’t get work anywhere else because I’m sixteen weeks pregnant. I’ve worked here under the table for Plutt before and that’s how I knew he wouldn’t pass on some cheap labor.”

He removed his arm from my shoulder and moved to kneel in front of me, showing me his pained expression, “Rey, I had no idea.”

“It’s not like you could,” I said, brushing his concern off. “We haven’t seen each other for over a decade and it’s amazing that we’ve met again at all. I’ve grown up, Ben. I’m not a defenseless little girl anymore and I don’t need protection. If I wasn’t pregnant, I’d be fine with living in my jeep. But at least here, I can save up what little money I’m making until I can afford something better.”

“If there was something I could do―”

I patted his hand, cutting him off, “You being here and listening to me prattle on about my problems is more than enough.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because you’re the only true friend I’ve ever had and that’s more than enough.” My phone dinged and I then noticed how late it was. “It’s getting late. How’s your jaw?”

He rubbed it absently, “It’s fine. Are you sure you’re okay here?”

I gave my most enthusiastic nod. “Definitely. I think we both know I can pack a punch.”

“Well,” he got up to his feet and looked around. “If you’re sure.”

“I am.” I stood up too, offering my most convincing smile. “Thank you again, Ben, it was really nice seeing you again. I’m really happy for you. You’ve done so well for yourself and I’m very proud of you.” This was a fact. He’s grown so much from that ruggish teenager that would climb over the fence to feed me Lunchables to a successful businessman who gives back to his community.

His apprehension was clear as day, like he was battling with himself on whether or not he should stay. But what could he do if he did? Camp out by the door? Not likely.

Instead, he pulled me into another hug which I happily accepted. When we broke apart, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to me. “Here, my card.” I took it and his voice got serious, “If you need anything― _anything_ ― you call this number, I’ll be here in an hour. Please, Rey, I’m here for you. Okay?”

I accepted the business card. “Okay, Ben.” Then I put it in my pocket, “I promise. Drive safe, please?”

“I will.” Then gently, “Goodnight, Rey,”

“Goodnight,” then he was gone again.

* * *

A loud banging woke me up sometime later. I pulled down the blanket and glared at the door, “Now what?” The pounding got even louder and I threw it off. “Quit the noise, I’m coming!” The springs in the mattress creaked in protest as I moved around to put on my slippers. I grabbed my phone, shuffled over to the door, undid the latch, opened, and was met face-to-face with a disheveled Ben Solo dressed in his sleepwear.

What the…? “Ben,” I looked down at my phone, barely making out the time through sleepy eyes. “It’s 3 am! What are you doing back here?”

He brushed past me and grasped my shoulders when I turned around. His eyes filled with determination as he looked directly into mine, “Rey, I’ve just spent the last few hours tossing and turning in my bed because I couldn’t sleep. Wanna know why? Because I couldn’t stand the thought of someone I cared about living in filth. Look at this place!” He waved his arm around at what was in the room. “You’re getting paid a crap wage to live in a crap place. You don’t even have a fucking bed! You sleep on a mattress! What’s going to happen when you’re in your third trimester? How are you going to get up?”

My mind was taking longer to process what he was saying than the rest of me. Given that I was still pretty foggy withs sleep, his words were breaking through to me. I looked up at him, my lip trembling, “I have nowhere else to go.”

“Not true.” His hands tightened on my arms and he leaned in close to my face, “Not anymore. Pack everything you have and load it all into the jeep; I’ll help you. You’re coming with me.”

I shook my head to clear, unsure if I’d heard him correctly. “I’m sorry, you want me to do what?”

He loosened his whole on my arms and lowered his voice, “Rey, I’ve been wanting to know what happened to you for years. When they took you away, I’d hoped that it was for the best and that you would be taken care of. I’m proud that you’ve taken care of yourself up till now. You’re strong but not invincible. Please, _please_ let me take care of you and the baby. I can help you with all your financial needs and doctor's appointments. My apartment has four bedrooms! One of them I keep exclusively for guests. It’s very spacious, twice the size of this place and it has an ensuite. You can even stay after the baby is born. Hell, you can stay as long as you need. Please, don’t fight me on this. I’m not leaving without you. You either get to pack up your things and follow me in your jeep, or I pick you up from this spot and put you in the car myself.”

My mouth dropped and I was gaping like a fish, “What about, Plutt? We had an agreement.”

“Screw him!” He said a little too loudly. “You that worried about it? Don’t be! Leave a note in here if you want. You don’t owe him a damn thing and I can convince my dad to buy whatever parts he needs elsewhere. It's not like there aren’t other places we can go.”

“I…” The more lucid I got, the fewer words I could form. “Ben, I don’t think―”

He cut me off, “Rey, I’m serious. This is not a place for a pregnant woman. For anyone! I wouldn’t even let an animal live here. Please, come with me. I can help you with everything you need. Please!”

“But―” Then I looked into his eyes again.

They were imploring as his next words. “I can’t just walk away and leave you here. Don’t ask me to, Rey.”

I looked around the shed. The lumpy mattress, gross toilet and all the other imperfections. He was right. It was a nightmare now and it would get worse as the baby growing inside me got bigger. Could I really take care of the baby here? I had hoped that I’d make enough money working for Plutt to move out and get a better place. But the more I thought about it, the less appealing and realistic it sounded.

I met his face, his eyes beseeching, “Okay. I’ll stay with you.”

“Oh, thank God,” he let out a huge sigh of relief and pulled me into another bear hug. “I’m glad you agreed because I was prepared to come knocking on your door every night until you did.”

My laugh was muffled against his shirt, “You’re still as persistent as ever, aren't you?”

“Yeah,” he said, sounding bashful. “That hasn’t changed much. Once I have my mind set, it can’t be changed.”

“Would you really have come knocking on my door every night?” I had to ask.

He leaned back so I could look at his face. “Oh yeah. I figured by the end of the second night, you’d crack.”

“Damn,” I said with faux disappointment. “I should have held out longer.”

“Nope,” he let me go and kneeled down by the fridge. “I have a cooler in my car from a picnic last week. I’ll throw all of this in there and you can go ahead and get your things into your car. Sound good?”

I guess we were really doing this. “I’ll get started.”

***Kudos and Reviews are always appreciated!***


	4. Mi Casa Su Casa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey moves into Ben's apartment and she's struggles through her emotions and hormones in attempt to stay sane. Are his motives pure or is he going to disappoint just like so many others have? No one does a good deed without expecting something in return...right?

**I don’t own Star Wars or any of their characters, they all belong to** ** _Lucasfilm_** **and** **_Disney._ ****Also Judge Lauren Lake is a real person and a real judge on her own TV show titled** **_Paternity Court_** **.**

I followed Ben’s black Chevrolet Tahoe for half an hour along the Hudson River into the city. Watching the buildings get taller and taller as we got closer to Manhattan island. Being that it was still early morning, it was still dark outside. Giving me some spooky vibes as I drove under each street light. My hands held onto the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

Was this really a good idea? I haven’t seen Ben in years, since I was a child, and here I was. Following him to his flat to an unknown location. Was he being genuine about offering me a safe place to stay while I have my baby because he was a kind man...or was he hoping for something in return? Never in my life has anyone offered me anything without a price. There was always a catch involved.

From what I could remember, Ben was never anything else but kind to me. More than that, he saved my life. I knew him for only a month and I was only a small child but, in truth, he was the only person who has ever made me feel safe. However, that had been over a decade ago. A lot could have changed over the years. Sure, he does what he can to give back the community. Helping troubled youth learn how to channel their anger much like how he did.

He’d also said that he never forgot about me after all this time. Which in all honesty was a first for me itself. Everyone forgot about me eventually; including my past foster families. After I would be placed in a new home one after the other I was soon forgotten by the previous. I never spent longer than half a year with each family. Which was more of a chore than anyone could understand. No two same households were the same. Different rules in each one. The only thing that was a constant rule with them was to stay out of trouble and to not make them look bad.

Was that what it would be like living with Ben? Given that he was well known to the community, would he want to keep me hidden so people wouldn’t see that he was letting a single soon-to-be young mother living under his roof? Can’t say that I would blame him. Or perhaps maybe he _wanted_ me to be visible so people could see how charitable he was being to me.

My thoughts were interrupted when his right blinker signaled to turn on West 72nd St and I followed him until we were back on Riverside Blvd. In the short distance, I glanced up through the windshield to see a building with identical towers on either side. They were so tall that they had to be at least forty flights high. The Rushmore. I was relieved when he made a sudden left on 64th but it was short-lived when he immediately turned right into an entrance to underground parking. I followed him closely behind him until he came to a stop at a small booth with a male security guard inside. 

Ben must have been well known to the man because he greeted him with a familiarity that reminded me of seeing your favorite clerk at the shops. I saw his arm come out the window to show some sort of pass or ticket to the security guard. When it was handed back, he then pointed with his thumb towards my car. When the security guard glanced at me I waved awkwardly because I didn’t know what else to do. He nodded to Ben and then started toward my car.

Was this the part where he tells me to put in reverse and beat it? It was obvious that he wanted to talk to me so I rolled my window down and waited till he got closer. When he made it to my door, he smiled in greeting, “Good evening, Ma’am,”

“Erm, good evening. I’m with Ben Solo.” I replied lamely before mentally berating myself. _No, really? Because you’ve only been following right behind his car in the early hours of the morning because you had nothing better to do._

He chuckled, clearly amused at my shyness, “Yes, I understand. Mr. Solo has informed me that you’ll be staying with him here in the building and will require a parking space while you’re here.”

I croaked in shock as the reality of it hit me. “He actually _lives_ here?” Part of me was hoping that he only parked here, then I remembered that he mentioned having more than one bedroom.

“Indeed, Ma’am,” He confirmed, “If I could just see your driver’s license and registration, please?”

Too amazed at this point, I just reached over to my glove compartment and pulled out the papers as well as my license from my wallet. I handed both items to him and waited anxiously as he walked back to the booth. It wasn’t like I had warrants out for my arrest or anything. It was just that this whole thing was making me jittery.

The guard came back out to hand Ben back his card with a nod and they exchanged a laugh before walking towards me with a small green paper in his hand and my registration. He handed it back to me when he got to my window along with my license. Holding up the green paper, he said, “Alright, Ms. Niima, this is your parking tag. Mr. Solo’s reserved it for a year for you. Attach it to your rearview mirror when you’re parked here. The number on it is your parking space, which is right next to his and this,” He handed me a smaller tag, “is your pass. Just insert it into the ticket reader whenever you enter and exit the parking structure and the boom gate will lift for you.”

My mouth fell agape, “It’s...he...he what?”

He nodded, then continued, “He’s also asked me to tell you that the cost is nothing to him so don’t worry about it and to just accept it.”

“He’s impossible,” I groaned and let my head fall back against the headrest. Then I blew a raspberry, conceding defeat, and nodded to him, “Thank you, sir.”

He smiled kindly, “Not a problem.” Then went back into the booth.

Now there was nothing else for me to do except continue to follow Ben deeper below ground level. I watched in interest when we came to a stop at the boom gate like the guard mentioned. Observing how he inserted his ticket into the small machine and spitting it back out as the gate lifted for him to pass through. 

Once he was on the other side, it lowered again as I drove up. I took my own ticket and saw the visual instruction on what side goes into the slot before slipping it in. I almost expected it to reject my ticket before it suddenly lit up in green and the gate lifted once more. Taking the ticket back, I followed where Ben had made a left and kept going until he made a stop at the parking space. Sure enough, the one to his right had my number painted on it. So, I put my car in my new space, put it in park and switched the key to turn it off.

When I looked out my window, I saw he had already gotten out of his car and was waiting patiently by the boot. I pressed the release button and he immediately opened it to take out my bags.

“Wait, Ben!” I quickly hopped out when I noticed he was reaching for _all_ of them. “You don’t need to do that, I can carry them.”

I didn’t miss him rolling his eyes as he swung three of the trash bags over one shoulder and picked up the fourth with ease before shutting the boot closed. He gave me a pointed stare, “It’s no trouble, Rey, really.”

“I know it’s not but,” My fists clenched tightly to keep growing my anxiety at bay, “Please, I have to carry at least one. I’m sorry, I know it sounds ridiculous and you’re just being nice, but I’ll feel more secure.”

His eyes widened and I knew he could tell that I was trying not to hyperventilate because he instantly dropped the last two bags, “Hey, hey! It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize.” his hand came up to rest on my shoulder. Squeezing gently as I tried to get my breathing back under control. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to push you.”

My own hand flew up to hide the shame on my face. “You don’t need to apologize, it’s me! Everything around me is changing so fast and I’m afraid that I’m losing my grip on what little I have left.”

I heard him release a harsh breath, “You still can’t find it in you to trust anyone.” It wasn’t a question. “Every time you’ve opened your heart to someone, even a little bit, it gets crushed. People have lied and stolen from you time and again, so you hold on to your material items because they’re all you have. I’m right, aren’t I?”

I nodded with a sniff and wiped my eyes with my arm. “Nothing in my life has been a constant. Not since that day when I was five. People coming and going became my normal, so I got used to being independent. It was easier for me to not get close to anyone. I thought that changed when I met Armi.” I looked up at him as the pit in my stomach got wider. “He was the one person in my life who remained present for the duration of our knowing each other. The _only_ person. Now, he’s left me too. Just like that.”

“Rey,” He started slowly, “Him leaving was his choice. I’d hate to sound like a dick, but he’s a spineless weasel. A real man doesn’t leave the woman who’s carrying his child alone without a second thought. Even if they’re not together anymore, they put the baby before their own feelings and work something out.”

“So stupid,” I chastised myself, breaking eye contact. “I thought that this was my chance to show that I could give my baby a good and stable life. And here I am, about to be just another young single mother with no plan because I was gullible enough to fall for the first man to show interest in me. I’m just another statistic.”

All of a sudden, my face was pressed against a hard chest and I was wrapped in a bear tight hug. “Don’t you ever call yourself ‘another statistic’.” Ben’s voice was quiet and steady, “Rey, you are so much more than that. I’m sorry that your moron of an ex can’t see it but that’s his own damn fault. I don’t know how your relationship was like while you were together but nothing atones for stealing from a pregnant woman. Even if you did cheat on him, he’s an asshole for taking it out on a baby that isn’t even born yet. You were willing to live out your pregnancy in a rundown shack and work yourself to the bone so you could provide for your child.”

“He told me he loved me,” I blubbered pathetically as my tears began to stain his shirt. “And I believed him. I believed every word and he played me for a fool! I thought I was finally getting the family I’d always dreamt of. He stole from me and left me with nothing!”

One of his hands came up to stroke the back of my head. “It’s gonna be okay. It’ll be hard, very hard, but you’ll make it through this. I’m going to do everything I can to help you.” He placed his chin atop my head and squeezed tighter. “Whatever you need, just ask. Don’t worry about paying me back. Just focus on keeping yourself healthy, okay? That’s all I ask in return.”

I gave myself a moment to let my breathing and my heart rate get back to normal and just let him hold me. He waited patiently while rubbing small circles into my back, not saying anything. “Alright, I’ll try.”

He loosened his arms and pulled away so he could look me in the eye then brought up one hand to wipe away my tears with his thumb. “Good. I know it’s going to take some time for you to trust me, but I promise that I will do my best to make you comfortable while you’re here.”

I smiled with earnest through watery eyes, “And I promise that I’ll try not to cry so much.” He smiled back and I giggled through a loud sniff. “I don’t usually don’t get so emotional. But these hormones have me going on in all sorts of directions.”

That made him grin, “Can I trust you not to hide behind a tree when I try to talk to you?”

“Yes, but I can’t promise that my temper isn’t any cooler than it used to be.” I grinned, thinking back to when we were young.

He shuddered and rubbed his bruised jaw, “At least before you couldn’t reach my face. You did get me in the shins when I caught you though. It felt someone had thrown bricks at them.”

“Oh God,” My hand flew to hide my mouth to hide my embarrassment. “You remember that?”

“My shins certainly do.” His foot came up and he twirled his ankle. “Learned my lesson.”

“Just not the one to sneak _or_ save a woman from behind?” I mused, lowering my hand.

He picked the bags back up and smiled, “Yeah, I may have forgotten to look before I leap.”

“Indeed,” I looked him up and down as if I were giving him a once over. “But rest assured, that I don’t intend to lay any more bodily harm on you during my stay.” 

“Well, at least we’re one step closer.” He nodded his head towards an elevator. “Why don’t we move this from the garage and up to my place? Trust me, it’s nicer. Just a heads up though, this elevator takes us up to the lobby on the ground floor. From there, we’ll take another one up to my apartment.”

“Oh, umm,” I glanced at the trash bags, nervous. “I’m guessing there’s a concierge too?” Fancy buildings always had one. When he nodded, I continued, “What would he or she say when they see us coming up with all these bags? What will they _think?_ ” Great, I was hoping that no one would actually see Ben with me carrying all these bags. All the different kinds of scenarios that people could come up with.

Drug deal with a pregnant hooker? Likely. Helping some random homeless girl? Technically it’s true. His desperate...what was that called...baby mama? That would make _him_ look bad.

“And?” He pressed. “They’re not getting paid to care about who I bring into my home. They can think what they want and it will make no difference. As long as I pay the bills and we don’t disturb any of the other tenants, we’re fine.”

I bit my lip, “Well…”

“Rey,” I heard the warning in his new tone. “We could stand here all day going back and forth but, at some point, we _do_ have to get up there. Your things have to get up there at some point so it really makes no difference whether you’re with me or not. They’re just bags, Rey. Trust me, they’ve seen crazier things go through their doors. One of their tenants has a service pony.”

That piqued my interest, “Did you just say service pony? That’s a thing?”

“It’s a thing,” he confirmed, “Though, I suppose the correct term would be miniature horse. The man is blind. Happened after he was thrown off his horse when it was spooked by some thunder a couple of years back. Ever the equestrion, he requested that he use a pony instead of a dog.”

The image of a grown man walking a small horse down the street made my inner child light up with interest. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a miniature horse before. Lots of ponies though. How tall is it?”

He pursed his lips and thought for a moment, “It’s been a while, but if I had to guess, I’d say she was at least three feet.”

If that were the case, then it wouldn’t even reach my waist. It became impossible to suppress the smile on my face. “That sounds impossibly cute.”

“Maybe you’ll get to meet him while you’re here,” He offered. “That being said, do you still think these trash bags will raise some heads? Are you more relaxed now that you know there is a three-foot horse walking around in the building?”

I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. “Yes.” I picked up the last bag that he left for me to carry, smiling. “Okay, I’m ready.” Then followed him into the elevator.

We were only two stories below ground level so we weren’t in there for long before they opened to reveal a brightly lit lobby. I couldn’t help but be taken in by its extravagance. It looked more like the lobby of a museum with its shiny marble floors, separated maple walls, cylinder columns, and circular ceiling. 

_This place is so shiny, it should be illegal._ I thought while looking at the whole interior. _They must clean this place top to bottom every hour._ It was spotless. Absolutely spotless. Just as I was about to reconsider fleeing, I heard the distinct sound of a clippity-clop echo.

Ben must’ve heard it too because he turned to where the noise was coming from and smiled. “Well, how do you like them apples? Look who’s here!”

I followed his gaze and I saw a man who looked to be in his mid-40’s coming through the main entrance’s revolving doors. Sure enough, trotting beside him was a fluffy dog-sized paint horse wearing a burgundy vest and handlebar that the man was holding on to.

“Oh my God.” It came out before I could stop it. I couldn’t help it! It’s a tiny bloody _horse!_

__

Ben chortled and greeted the man, “Good morning, Mr. Valentine!”

The man in question paused and turned as if to look at Ben. He smiled in greeting through his sunglasses, “Ah, good morning to you too, Mr. Solo!”

We got closer and Ben reached a hand out to him, something the man seemed to sense because he held out his hand too. “You’re out awfully early.”

“I could say the same for you.” The man, Mr. Valentine, laughed heartily.

“How’s the book coming along?” Ben asked with interest.

Mr. Valentine let out a long sigh, “I’m stuck on chapter fifteen. Thought a nice walk would help clear my head.” There was a brief moment of silence. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” 

I jumped, startled. I’d been staring at the horse and when he spoke. _I thought he couldn’t see._ “Er, hello. It’s nice to meet you.”

“British, lovely.” He complimented, making me blush.

“This is Rey Niima,” Ben introduced. “She’s going to be staying with me for a while.”

“Sorry for startling you, my dear. When Mr. Solo spoke, I heard two sets of feet followed by his voice.” Mr. Valentine laughed again and offered his hand to me as well, “Daniel Valentine, it’s always a pleasure to meet new people.”

I accepted the hand offered and shook it. “It’s nice to meet you too, Sir. Sorry, if I seem a little jumpy.”

“She’s never seen a service horse before,” Ben explained as we all started towards the lobby elevator. When the three—or _four_ —of us entered I watched in fascination as Mr. Valentine moved his finger along the buttons with practiced determination. Clearly, he’d hit the right ones because Ben didn’t seem bothered in the least.

“Ah yes,” Mr. Valentine continued with understanding in his voice. “Diamond here certainly draws all the attention to her. She's always known how to light up a room.”

“She’s beautiful,” I said in awe before I could stop myself. Then I noticed that her vest had big bold letters that read, ‘ **DO NOT TOUCH** ’. “Oh, was I going to ask if I could pet her and then I saw the vest.”

Mr. Valentine shook his head gently, “Yes, I’d rather you didn’t while she’s working. But I appreciate you reading it first.”

“It’s actually illegal to pet a service animal or distract them in any way,” Ben informed me. “Because their focus needs to be on their owner at all times in case something happens.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling guilty for wanting to pet her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Mr. Valentine kept smiling, “It’s alright, Ms. Niima. Diamond is a beautiful creature and I can’t blame you for being fascinated. It’s not everyday you see a miniature service horse, right?”

“This is the first time I’ve seen a miniature horse _ever._ ” I said with awe. “I’ve seen ponies but never this small.”

“Really?” He asked, “Well, make no mistake, she loves attention. You’re more than welcome to visit whenever I’m home. I’m on the tenth floor in 10C. I travel a lot but whenever I’m home, feel free to give us a knock.”

“I’d like that,” I said earnestly and I swore that Diamond winked at me with her crystal blue eyes.

The elevator came to a stop with a ding, “Here we are, come Diamond!” Mr. Valeting said and she led him out into the hall. “Good to see you again, Mr. Solo. And a pleasure to meet you Ms. Niima.” Ben and I waved as the doors closed and it was, once again, just the two of us.

“I think he likes you.” He said with an admired appraisal. “See? Nothing to worry about.”

“He couldn’t see the trash bags,” I bit back.

“No, but he could _hear_ them. Just like he could hear your footsteps.” To prove his point, he shook one of the bags. “Polyethylene has its own texture and a distinct sound too. Given that he can’t see—”

“All of his other senses are heightened and thus he could hear them.” I finished for him with a sound of annoyance. “And he made absolutely no comment and treated me with great respect.”

“There you go.” He said, pleased. “And you were worried about the concierge and neighbors making a fuss. Trust me, you’re going to be just fine here.” Then his voice became quiet and firm. “If anyone _does_ give you problems then they’ll have to deal with me.”

I smiled up at him, grateful. “Thank you, Ben.”

His response was interrupted when the elevator dinged and the doors opened again. This floor was different, however. Instead of a long hallway on either side, it looked more like another lobby. I trailed behind him to the door on the right before he paused in thought. He looked at me and said, “You know, let’s go in this way. Closer to the bedrooms.”

I frowned when he walked towards the door on the left instead. Perturbed, I asked, “Wait, if _this_ door goes into your apartment then why were you headed for the other one first?”

“Force of habit.” Was his answer. “I usually bring guests through the main entrance so I can give them the full tour. But given that I brought you here just two hours before dawn, I think it’s best to get you settled into your room as soon as possible so you can get some more sleep.” He smiled, “I could show you everything the building has. It even has a playroom for kids.”

“Wait so,” I pointed at one door and then the other, “You have two flats on this floor?”

The corner of his lips twitched like he was fighting a smile, “Rey, I don’t have an apartment on this floor. This floor _is_ my apartment.”

My mouth opened and closed like a gaping fish. Slowly, I did a circular motion with my hand, “This _whole_ floor is one apartment and it's completely yours?”

“Yep,”

I waved, “See ya.” Then I turned back towards the elevator.

“Come back here,” Both hands held two trash bags and he still managed to get one arm around my shoulders and steer me back. “Don’t be so dramatic, it’s just a penthouse.”

“‘Just a penthouse’ he says.” I mocked.

“Haha very funny.” He dropped one of the bags so he could reach into his pocket and pull out his keys to put into the lock, but then he stiffened and looked at the door in horror. “Uh oh.” Then he turned to me with an apologetic grimace, “Shit!”

My whole body went stiff as a dread tingled its way up my spine. _Oh, God, he has a girlfriend!_ Was my first thought. Worse, he probably has a whole wife! No way he was this successful and living in a nice home without a lovely lady on his arm. Hell, earlier he’d left and came back to fetch me so fast that she must still be in bed asleep! What will she say? What will she _do?_ Would she be okay with me staying with them? I wouldn’t blame her if she demanded I take my things and _walked_ back to Plutts!

Before I could faint from being winded by my own thoughts, he suddenly asked, “Are you allergic to dogs? Or any kind of fur?”

I blinked, taken off guard. Okay, I definitely wasn’t expecting that. “Umm no, why?” Right after I said that, I heard whimpering and scratching at the door. Oh...there was a dog on the other side.

Meanwhile, Ben let out a huge breath of relief and proceeded to open the door, “I have a pit-terrier mix. He’s perfectly harmless, I promise. My mind didn’t just put two and two together that I completely forgot to mention it to you. Sorry about that.”

“That’s fine,” was my lame response. “What about your...girlfriend?” The last word came out as a nervous squeak. I was also terrified that the pup might wake her up too.

He tilted his head, thoughtful, “I’m not seeing anyone, Rey. If I were, I _definitely_ would’ve warned you ahead of time.” A bark came from the other side and he then proceeded to unlock the door. “I hear you, Bronx, hang on!” He looked back at me and pushed it open with the keys still inside, “I gotta warn you that he’s an excitable one.”

In the next instant, a brownish-grey blur came bolting out of the entryway and started jumping up excitedly at Ben’s legs. The knee-high ball of energy was so happy to see him that the entire lower half of his body wiggled back and forth with his tail. He snorted happily as he danced around his master’s feet.

“Hey, buddy!” Ben’s face lit up like a child’s as he looked down at his loyal companion. “I know! I know! I’m sorry I left without you but I had an emergency.” He looked up at me and nodded his head towards the entrance, “Go on in and turn to the left, I’m right behind you.”

I stepped into the threshold and got a glance of the dining room on the right before turning left, as he instructed. The door shut behind me and then the excited four-legged pup came to greet me. His tail was still wagging as he looked up at me expectantly.

“You can pet him if you like.” Ben offered, as he put the locks in place. “He doesn’t bite and he loves attention.”

Bronx snorted in response, still waiting for me to acknowledge him. Unable to resist any longer, I ushered him forward and let him paw at my legs as I scratched him behind the ears. Not an easy thing to do as he wiggled about and hopped on his hind legs until he rested his paws on my thighs. I smiled and gave his head some more scratches.

“Alright, that’s it, you big baby, down!” Ben called, and Bronx immediately dropped back to all fours to look over his shoulder at him. “Don’t look at me like that, she’s not going anywhere. You’ll see her in a couple of hours.” Bronx gave me one last longing look before padding away. He looked so crestfallen that I almost pitied him.

Ben let him walk past him before coming up to me. He laughed at the expression on my face and said, “Don’t fall for it, he’s a big drama queen.” Then he gestured down the hall, “Make another left at the corner.”

I laughed when I noticed the pit-rottweiler mix chuff at the words ‘drama queen’ and laid floor. “I think he heard you,” I said as I walked followed his instruction.

“Yeah, well that’s what he gets for guilting me into giving him my t-bone last week.” He muttered as we continued to the end of the hall where two doors stood. “Here we are.” He dropped the bag and opened the one on the right. “This will be your room.” Then he hit a switch, lighting up the room.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. The room was beautiful. More than any I’d ever seen before. Even in a hotel. There was a full-sized bed with iron and thunder grey blankets and pillows. Oakwood adorned the floor, the walls were painted white, save for the on the right where the bed stood, which was daltile green. To the right of it was a black nightstand with a single potted plant and two armed wall lamps on either side of the bed frame. A grey swivel chair at the far end of the room right next to a dresser with a flatscreen attached to the wall above it.

Ben placed all of my bags down on the floor by the bed and proceeded to a door on my right. “This,” He said, flipping on another light switch. “Is your ensuite.” I poked my head in and to see the same color theme and marveled at the size of the shower alone. It alone had to be bigger than the bathroom in the flat I rented with Armi.

“It already has toiletries,” He continued, “But we can go shopping later to stock it with things you need.” Then he leaned back to open the next door, which was right next to the bathroom, “And this is your closet.”

I bit my lip to fight back more tears. “Ben, this is perfect. It’s beautiful.”

His shoulders relaxed in relief and he backed up into the hall to pat on the door to mine. “This is my room. If you need anything, just knock. If I don’t answer, let yourself in and wake me up yourself. I don’t care if it’s 2 am, I’m here for you. Okay?”

“This is all mine?” I asked in amazement.

He nodded, “Absolutely. This is your space. You do whatever you want with it to make you comfortable.”

“This place doesn’t need anything, it’s perfect,” I said sobbingly. “I don’t know how to thank you. I’ve never felt so at home in my life.”

“Come here,” He reached for me, pulling me in for another hug. “It’s gonna be okay.” I relaxed and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. Armitage never held me like this and we were together for years. Normally I’m not so forward but I’ve been deprived of affection for so long that I desperately wanted to cling to it. He was all too willing to give it.

We pulled away when I covered my mouth and let out a tired yawn. “Sorry,” I said, “I think I’m going to go make love to that bed.”

He barked out a laugh, “It’s a Tempurpedic. Adjustable too.”

“You mean like those ones on the telly?” I asked, perking up. “Where the girl was jumping on it while a glass of wine stayed perfectly balanced?”

He nodded, “That’s the one.”

My body began to tremble with childlike glee as I walked over to the bed and sat down to test the mattress. When my bum sunk down, I tested the waters further by laying on my back. Immediately, I could feel the mattress align itself along my spine. It felt so good that I couldn’t prevent the blissed sigh that escaped my mouth. “I feel like I’m on a cloud.”

I lifted my head to see him cross his arms and lean against the doorway with a knowing smirk. “It’s nice, right?” I nodded and he did the same. “Yeah, I knew you’d like it. I have one too and it has done wonders for my back.”

Sure enough, I could feel my own back as if it were realigning itself. That mattress back at the shed really was garbage. I was already starting to feel pains in my lower back from the pregnancy and if I had stayed there, it would’ve been murder. “I think I could lay on this bed for the rest of my life and be as happy as can be.”

He straightened from the doorjamb and took hold of the knob, “I’ll leave you to get some rest. Just a heads up, if you wake up and I’m not here, it means I’ve taken Bronx out for a walk. I take him out every morning when I go running at seven.”

“Got it,” I said, sitting up to kick off my shoes. “I think I’ll definitely sleep easy.”

“I’m glad.” He said with earnest. “Sleep well, Rey.”

“You too,” I told him and he shut the door, leaving me alone in the room with my thoughts. _My_ room. I looked around to marvel at all of its characteristics. Especially the color scheme with the greys and greens. It so happened that this particular shade of forest green was my favorite color. There was no chance he knew that. It was almost like this room was waiting for me.

Another loud yawn tore itself out of me. Exhaustion had such a tight hold on me that I didn’t even plan on changing clothes. So I just pulled the duvet back and wrapped myself in the plush blankets. Relishing in their warmth as the mattress molded to my body shape again. My eyes became so heavy that I didn’t have it in me to stop them from sliding shut.

Despite my nerves, I felt completely safe for the first time in weeks.

* * *

An unmistakable rolling in my stomach I’d become rather accustomed to each day woke me up from the best sleep I’d had in over a month. I kicked off my blankets, getting ready to roll off the mattress and crawl to the toilet. But imagine my surprise when I reached blindly for the floor that wasn’t where it normally was.

Cracking one eye open was enough to almost blind me when I looked up at a white ceiling instead of a shack roof. There was also sunlight coming in from the window to my right, which is also something I did not have. In fact, the entire room was unfamiliar. Before I could go into a panic, memories of the last few hours came rushing at once.

Which did not help as my unborn child kept demanding that I expel whatever it was in my stomach that displeased it. I wobbled my way into the loo and held off my gag reflex long enough to kneel over the bowl and take care of business.

It took a while but when I was done with retching, I flushed and used the sink to hoist myself back up again. When I saw my reflection in the mirror I almost startled myself. I looked like absolute hell. My hair was a mess and my skin was as pale as a fish’s belly. I needed a wash badly.

Then I caught the sight of the shower to my right and grinned. “Oh, I have a feeling I’m going to get good use of this lovely device.” It took me a short while to remember which bags had my soaps and shampoos before I eventually found them. I think I stayed under the warm spray for almost a half-hour. The water pressure was amazing and the showerhead had different settings too. It was so since that I could’ve stayed in there for hours but my stomach was once again making noises but for food.

I exited the shower and got dressed in a simple tank top and joggers. My sock-covered feet padded on the carpet as I walked to the window and moved the curtain aside, welcoming the sun. I looked down below, gazing at the tall trees that poked up between some buildings. It couldn’t be Central Park because that was a little further east but it was nice nonetheless.

 _That’s right. Ben came back to the shack last night._ I remembered as I continued to admire the view. _He offered me a place to stay here at his flat and gave me this room. Said I could stay here as long as I’d like._ As happy as I was, I still felt the need to be wary. I can’t remember the last time I had a string of good luck. Or any good luck for that matter.

Suddenly, I sniffed and my nose picked up the delicious aroma of bacon. Ben must’ve been awake. Part of me wanted to just hide away in this room but the other part of me said to get over it because, since we were going to live together for an unknown amount of time, so I may as well get used to being around him.

I wasn’t so sure if I was nervous about being around someone as attractive as Ben or if it was because it was Ben that was so attractive. It wasn’t as if I didn’t think him so before. I was just a young girl who used to think all boys were yucky. But I’m a woman now. Over the years he’d gone from a skinny and gangly teenager into a full-grown adult man. I shook my head to keep the inappropriate thoughts at bay before they got too rowdy. It doesn’t matter anyway. He could have whatever woman he wanted...or man, I wouldn’t judge...there’s little doubt that he would settle for a young mother. But he promised to always be my friend and keep me safe. That was more than enough.

After my mental pep talk was finished, I pulled on a pair of slippers moved to open the door. On the other side, I was greeted with a canine smiling up at me. His tail started wagging as if he’d been waiting for me to come out.

“Good morning, you,” I said, leaning down to scratch under his chin. He started panting and wagging his tail harder.

“Bronx, leave her alone!” I heard Ben call out from the other end of the flat. “She’ll come out when she’s ready. Come!”

Bronx padded away and I followed close behind, already convinced that I would’ve gotten lost otherwise. This place was huge and I’ve only seen half of it. Just a short distance more and I could hear the sound of food being cooked. I looked around the corner and saw the dog plant himself just outside of the kitchen line.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I slowly made my way over to him and finally made it to the kitchen. What a kitchen it was too! The first thing that caught my eye was the bar counter, which is where I headed first to get a better look. There I saw Ben standing over the gas stove, string something in a pan.

He must’ve sensed my presence because he glanced over his shoulder and smiled when he saw it was me. “Hey good morning! Or should I say,” He glanced down at the watch on his wrist, “Good afternoon?”

Amazed, I looked out towards the windows. “It’s afternoon already?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed, sauntering over with an empty plate and gestured towards one of the stools at the bar. “Have a seat. I made some breakfast. I hope you’re hungry.”

“I’m absolutely famished.” My eyes lit up at the wonderful array of foods that were already laid out. “This looks amazing!”

He smiled at the compliment and handed me some silverware. “Thanks. I wasn’t sure what you’d like so I made a bit of everything. Except for the eggs. I wasn’t sure how you like them and I know that you can’t have them undercooked, so I thought I’d wait for you. If you even like eggs.”

“I appreciate the thought,” I told him. “I usually have them over easy, but hard-boiled is fine. If that isn’t a bother.”

“Not at all,” He assured me and took out a small pot. “I prefer them in an omelet myself. Help yourself to everything else in the meantime. I’m out of syrup for the waffles, however, so I hope jam is okay.”

I waved him off, already filling my plate with fruits and pastries. “I prefer it actually.” I’d already started to dig in but then paused, realizing I was being too hasty. “Sorry.”

He glanced back over his shoulder from the stove and waved his hand, “Don’t be. Please, start without me. You’re eating for two and I can wait five more minutes.

My stomach agreed and I resumed stuffing my face. Sure enough, five minutes later, he handed me the hard-boiled eggs before reaching back just in time to flip his omelet. “ _Bon appetit!_ ” He announced, sliding it onto his own plate and came to join me at the bar. “How is everything?”

“Delicious!” I told him, mouth full and he smiled proudly before digging into his own breakfast. I tried not to stare. He was wearing a charcoal tank top and matching joggers with his hair swept back. The muscles in his arms were much larger up close. Not to mention they were exposed all the way up to his shoulders. 

Why did he have to be so handsome? These hormones are going to get me into a world of trouble!


	5. I Can Fix It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey gets to get the full tour of Ben's penthouse as well as the remainder of the building. Then later, she'll be meeting Ben's dad again. Only this time, she'll be introduced as his long-lost friend instead of Plutt's mechanic. How will that go?

**I don’t own Star Wars or any of their characters, they all belong to** ** _Lucasfilm_** **and** **_Disney._ ****Also Judge Lauren Lake is a real person and a real judge on her own TV show titled** **_Paternity Court_** **.**

****

Ben and I mostly ate the remainder of our breakfast in silence, which I was grateful for. I was trying hard not to glance at him too. But he was so...big! Just sitting next to him made me feel like I’d shrunk and I was taller than the average woman. Armi was fit too with a good amount of muscle but Ben was more—what did Americans call it— buff.

I shouldn’t be ogling him like this. No, I shouldn’t be ogling him, period. More importantly, why was I? I’ve just gotten out of a long-term relationship two weeks ago and it still hurt to think about it. Armi and I had been together since high school and even after all we’ve been through together, he just threw it all away like it meant nothing. Oh yeah, and I was pregnant.

It wasn’t my fault the birth control didn’t work. Even the doctor assured me that it was a rare occurrence. He said that it could’ve been a number of reasons. One of the main ones being that we had unprotected intercourse too soon after the Depo-Provera injection had been administered. I guess that I could’ve insisted that Armi wear a condom as a precaution. Then again, he should’ve thought of that too. We’re both grown adults and we knew what risks there were. So why did all the blame fall on me?

Then he had to go on and say that I’d been unfaithful to him and turn his whole family against me. Not that they liked me much to begin with, but still. He was the one that got us kicked out of the flat, not me. He always had a home to go to if he needed and he knew that I didn’t. Took the quickest way to get rid of me, he did.

Out of instinct, my unoccupied hand reached down to cradle my small bump. Not much there yet, but somewhere underneath my belly button, there was a small little speck of life. A tiny little thing that sat completely unaware of the hardships of this world. The road ahead is going to be a hard one for us both. But thanks to the person sitting next to me, I wasn’t going to face it alone.

A sigh of bliss came through my nose when I chewed on another piece of bacon. I don’t know how, but he managed to cook them just how I like it. Not too crispy or too soft but something in between. A good amount of chewy and crunchy with every bite.

His head lifted at my noise of delight and smiled as I kept chewing. “Good?” I nodded eagerly, unable to speak with food in my mouth. He took a bite of his omelet and reached for some fruit, “I’m glad you like it. My mom taught me everything she knew in the kitchen.” 

“She’s the one that taught you your culinary skills?” I asked, suddenly intrigued. I tried to picture him as a teenager watching his mother describe all the different kinds of ingredients involved with cooking. 

“Yep.” He helped himself to the plate of bacon and continued. “When I’d visit my folks on the weekends and holidays, my dad would let me help him with his cars and my mom would show me how to work around the kitchen.” He let out a deep chuckle as he reminisced. “Whenever I’d ask her to cook a particular dish, she’d say ‘yes’ on the condition I help her make it. Turns out, I wasn't too bad at it and I enjoyed doing it with her.”

Hearing him talk about his mother with such affection filled me with such warmth. He didn’t talk about his family much when we were young. By his own admission, his relationship with them was strained back then. I’m glad he was able to mend it with them over the years. Not everyone is so lucky.

“What about your parents?” He asked gently, bringing me back to the present. I hadn’t even realized that my thoughts had wandered off. “Did you ever find out what happened to them?”

My mental shields went up automatically and I looked down at my plate. “No.” For all I knew, they could have fled back to the United Kingdom. I didn’t even know if they were alive. If they were, they never looked for me. Or if they had, they didn’t try hard enough.

A buzzing sound broke us out of the awkward silence that had taken over us. I looked over at Ben to see him reach into his pocket and pull out his phone. He glanced at me briefly before getting up from his stool, “It’s my dad. Be back in a sec.” His thumb pressed on the screen and brought it up to his ear as he walked down the hall.

I spread some more jam onto a waffle and got ready to stuff it into my mouth when I noticed a pair of dark eyes staring up at my plate. Bronx was looking at the fruit like they were the last pieces of sustenance on the planet. Those eyes left the plate to look up at me beseechingly.

_Oh, God, that face!_ I thought, turning my back to pick at some of the fruit. He let out a tiny whimper and I kept eating, trying to ignore him. I risked another glance and he started wagging his tail expectantly. His long tongue came up to lick the slobber that was already leaking from his mouth. He came up to rest his paws on the stool and rested his chin on my thigh. I let out a groan, “You’re making me feel like I’m a terrible human being.”

He whimpered once more before Ben came back. When he saw him on my lap he snapped his fingers and pointed to the ground. “Bronx, down!” Then to me, he murmured, “Sorry about that. He’s terrible whenever there’s food around. I’ve been training him since I got him a year ago. He’s getting better, I promise.”

I giggled at their exchange, “It’s alright. He’s pleasant company.”

He smirked knowingly, “Yeah, he is.”

I gestured towards his phone, “Work?”

He shook his head, “Nah, I’ve taken the next three days off.”

“Can you do that? Won’t you get into trouble?” I asked, worried.

He waved his hand, fighting another smirk, “I’m the boss and I rarely take any time off. The instructors have already divided up my classes to cover for me. I’m set.” He waved his phone. “It was my dad. He wants me to stop by his place in Cold Spring later to have a look at his car. You wanna come with?”

I looked at him incredulously. “You want me to meet your dad?”

“Well,” He tilted his head to the side, “Technically you two already met yesterday.”

I made a face, “Yeah, but that was under different circumstances!”

“So?” The corner of his mouth lifted, “He was very impressed with your work on the crankshaft yesterday. Especially for spotting the imperfection in the old one.”

“That was before I punched you in the face.” I reminded him plainly. “‘Hi, Mr. Solo! We met yesterday but it turns out I know your son. He helped me when I was five and got chained in a backyard by a cruel couple after being abandoned by my parents. That bruise on his jaw is from me taking a swing at him after he’d scared the piss out of me. We got to talking and it turned out that we recognized each other from back then. Now he’s offered to give me and my unborn child a place to stay at his flat so I don’t have to live in a shack at Plutt’s.’”

He snorted, amused. “Don’t be so dramatic. He knows about what happened back then. I’ll just explain to him that you’re the same person. Only now, you’re all grown up.”

“Do you really think he’ll believe that?” I asked him, doubtful.

“Why not? It’s the truth.” He replied, a little offended.

“It’s too coincidental.” I pointed out. “No way will he think any of this is true. I was there and I don’t even believe it.”

“Leave that to me.” He insisted. “He’s going to meet you at some point. So why don’t we just rip off the bandaid and get it over with? I promise as soon as you start talking cars, you’ll win him over in no time. Come on, what do you say?”

“I don’t know,” I said, unsure. I wasn’t really in the mood to meet any new people at the moment. I’ve always been somewhat of a loner growing up. I couldn’t relate to anyone my age because I didn’t really know how. But the more I got to thinking about it, it did make some sense. Maybe this would help me in the long run. I didn’t know how long I was going to be staying here, just that it was going to be indefinite. Maybe Ben had a point. Getting it over with might be easier than him just telling his father he had a pregnant friend staying with him. Not to mention rude.

I took the last bite of my waffle and sighed with defeat, “I guess you’re right. But I’ll go mainly because I don’t want to be alone here in the apartment just yet.”

“That’s fine,” he started. “I totally understand. Speaking of the apartment. How about after you let me take this,” he took my empty plate and put it in the sink, “And take care of the mess here while you go get dressed, and then I’ll change so I can give you a proper tour of the apartment. Then I can show the public facilities we have here in the building.”

“Alright. Just knock on the door when you’re ready.” I wiped my face with a napkin and excused myself from the room. Finding my way back to the bedroom was easier than leaving it. I remembered that it was to the side of the door that led into his room at the end of the hall.

I threw on a tank top and cardigan followed by a pair of khakis and trainers. While I was at it, I put away the rest of my clothes in the dresser. Finally free of those wretched trash bags. But I realized as I put away the baby clothes in the top drawer, that it wasn’t going to be enough space. However, there was ample room in the closet by the ensuite. I knew how to use a hammer and a drill. I could put in a few shelves and make a dresser for the baby myself. I’d have to ask Ben first. 

When he knocked on the door some time later, I opened the door and had to fight to keep my jaw from falling to the floor. He smiled in greeting, “Hey, ready for the tour?”

I swore that this man could make a potato sack look attractive. He was wearing a dark blue henley t-shirt with light grey cargo pants and black Chelsea boots. Over the years, he had definitely grown some more fashion sense. Instead of just everything black, he’s moved on to more colors. Although, he still seemed to still favor them in the darker end of the spectrum. Not that there was anything wrong with that. In fact, he looked amazing in everything I’ve seen him in. He even looked attractive in his sleepwear.

 _Stop it!_ I mentally scolded myself. _You’re pregnant. It’s the hormones and you’re still stung from the breakup. You were a kid when he saw you last. He probably sees you as nothing more than a little sister anyway._ It took me a minute to realize that he was waiting for an answer. Steering my brain away from any more inappropriate thoughts, I give him a welcoming smile, “Yeah, I’m all set.”

“Alright,” he pointed to his door, “For starters, as I said, this is my room here. Down here,” he led me to the archway that was at the other end of the hall, there were three doors. He pointed to the one on the left, “This is my study, and that room,” he pointed to the door on the far right, "Is mainly storage space. And the room in the middle is another bathroom.” I nodded with interest and he led me past the entrance towards the kitchen and stopped by a pair of double doors. He opened them, revealing a state-of-the-art washing machine and dryer.

“I’ve always wanted to try these!” I said with new excitement. When I saw that his expression turned confused, I explained, “We had a laundry room at our complex. You know, the ones that need quarters? They worked fine but these,” I marveled at them. “I might actually enjoy doing laundry.”

He chuckled as he pulled the doors closed. “Well, before you fall in love, let me show the rest.” He gestured towards the kitchen, “You’ve already seen the kitchen and dining room. Now over here, we have the family room and living room kind of meshed together.”

The walls and ceiling were painted raw grey. Filled with neatly placed furnishings and decorations. There were two televisions in the room. One was in an entertainment armoire on one end of the room and another hung above the fireplace. Probably hand for when he has mixed company.

But all of those pretty things didn’t mean too much when I glanced towards the window. Stunned, I asked him, “That’s the Hudson?”

“Take a look.” He encouraged me. “It’s a beautiful view from this floor. You can even see New Jersey on the other side.” 

With his reassurance, I went over to the window to look at the river. Indeed it was a sight to behold. It occurred to me, at that moment, that I’d never actually stopped to admire the historic landmark. I’d driven past it several times whenever I would come into the city for work. It was really beautiful. At some point, Ben came up from behind me and reached for the latch on the window, opening it so I could feel the fresh air on my face. I took in a whiff and sighed happily. “That’s nice.”

“The ones in your room open too.” He informed me as he shut it tight. “I hear fresh air is good for babies. So you could put the crib under the window and leave it slightly ajar to let some in.”

“That’s a great idea,” I said in agreement. “I’m due in August, so it’s gonna be hot. The breeze up here would be wonderful.”

“Which reminds me,” he started hesitantly. “When is your next doctor’s appointment?” 

_Hmm, good question._ I took out my phone and scrolled through my planner. “My next appointment is on...Wednesday. Oh,” I looked at the small note by the appointment. “That’s right. They’re going to tell me if I’m having a boy or a girl."

“Hey, that’s great!” He said, enthused. His face lit up with excitement. “Then we’ll know if we need to get pink or blue balloons.”

“Very funny.” I snorted before worrying my bottom lip with my teeth. How was I going to raise a baby without health insurance? “I’m going to have to switch to a nearby clinic and apply for state aid.”

He furrowed his brows in concern, “Why would you need to do that?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, “I’ve never been able to afford health insurance. Even with my job from before. ”

His mouth dropped, “Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve payed to get you enrolled with one already.”

“Really?” I rolled my eyes. “One thing at a time, Ben. And I don’t want you paying for it, it’s my responsibility.”

“Rey,” He placed his hands on my shoulders and turned me to so I kept eye contact with him. “I said that I would help you and my word is my bond. Yes, you can get aid and you will likely qualify for free medical assistance but it can only cover so much in the long run. I can afford whatever health plan will be best suited for you. I have more money than I know what to do with it. My family has even more.”

“I just,” how could I word this properly without offending him? I knew he was just being nice. “I understand that you can afford it. It’s not about that. I feel like I’m using you, Ben.” My insecurities were beginning to show their nasty selves. “I’m not used to things just being handed to me. I’ve had to work for my keep all my life. Having a lot of money would be nice, don’t get me wrong. But you’ve already done so much for me. Too much, in fact.”

“Oh?” His brow arched. “I disagree. You see, Rey, you’re not using me at all. I offered to give you a place to stay. As you’ve seen already, I have plenty of room.” He shrugged. “How I choose to spend my money is my decision. Your refusal to accept it only further proves that you are _not_ using me.”

“Ben―” I stopped when he cut me off.

“Nope!” He said, emphasis on the ‘p’. “I don’t wanna hear another word about it. I said I would help cover your expenses and, again, I meant it. Now,” he crossed his arms, “You are either going to hand over your medical information to me willingly so I can give it to my secretary for him to handle  _ or _ ,” he grinned, “I sign up with most expensive insurance company right now and pay for the next year on my credit card.”

I gaped at him, “Oi! That's not a choice! You’d be paying for it either way!”

“That’s right, but,” He held up a finger, “I’d much rather you give it to me on your own. Call it a trust test.”

“‘Trust test?’” I repeated and he nodded. “Is this payback for not telling you my name when we were younger?”

“My heart!” He dramatically smacked his hand on his chest. “You wound me!”

“I can see that.” I quipped. Then took the hand on his chest and moved it slightly to his left pectoral. “Your heart is over here.”

He kept up the charade. “See? I’m so hurt that I don’t even know where my organs are!”

“Oh good grief, alright!” I said, giving up. “Alright already! You can pay for my medical expenses, you big baby.”

“Thank you!” He said, instantly cheering up. “Was that so hard?”

“Shut it,” I grumbled.

“Right,” He laughed and then held his hand out. “Now that you’ve seen the whole apartment, would you like to see the rest of the building?”

“Yes,” I admitted quietly. 

He hadn’t been joking when he said that his building had many amenities. They were all located on the first floor. There was a La Palestra pool big enough to be used for the Olympics. Nextdoor was a fitness center filled with Cybex exercise equipment. Followed by that, there was the Kidville playroom that Ben had mentioned to me before, a billiard room with a neighboring sitting room, and then there was even a small screen room. This building really had everything. I could see myself getting some good use out of that pool and playroom.

“So what do you think?” Ben asked after we’d left the billiard room. “Not too shabby, huh?”

“It’s just missing a helicopter pad.”

“Oh, it’s on the roof.” He said with a straight face. Then he grinned and shook his head at my flabbergasted expression. “I’m kidding! I’m kidding! There is a roof terrace though.”

“You think you’re so funny,” I said with a giggle.

“Oh, I know I'm funny.” He said with confidence. Then there was that buzzing again and he sighed, pulling out his phone. “It’s my dad again, hang on.” He brought it up to his ear, “Yeah, Dad?” He waited for the answer on the line patiently. “Okay, okay. I’ll head over right now. Oh, by the way,” he looked at me, “I’m bringing Bronx and a friend along. That okay?” He kept his eyes on me and nodded. “You know her. You’ll recognize her when you see her...great, see you in a bit.”

When he hung up, I asked him, “Is it his car again?”

“Yeah.” He put his phone back in his pocket. “If you want, you can meet me down in the garage by the car while I go get Bronx. It’s two stories down. Want me to walk you to the elevator?”

“That’s alright,” I said, waving him off. “Sure. Would you mind picking up my car keys while you’re up there? I have a rucksack that I never drive without.”

He nodded gently. “No problem. I’ll see you down there.”

* * *

Luckily I didn’t get lost finding my way to the elevator. Nor was it a challenge looking for Ben’s car, given it was next to mine and it was easy to spot. He came down to join me ten minutes later with Bronx in tow. The eager pooch obediently jumped into the back seat when he opened the door for him.

As requested, he handed me my keys so I could get my rucksack. It had all of my car tools in it and I never traveled far without it. You just never knew when your car might break down and it’s always important to have those kinds of tools on hand. I had everything in from a 

The drive to Cold Spring was nice. Ben’s Tahoe was very spacious and comfortable. Not to mention that I got a kick out of watching Bronx stick his head out the window so he could enjoy the wind and stick his tongue out.

The view was something I was admiring. I’d never been this far north before and I was loving all of the greenery. It was like the village was molded in with all of the trees surrounding it. It reminded me of one of those quiet towns you’d see in films. It was small but it was also nice. I could see myself living in a small cottage out here.

Ben kept driving until we made it to a nice white folk style Victorian house further out in the country. Most likely built in the late 19th century or early 20th century. Two-stories with a set of wooden steps leading up to a nice roofed porch complete with a porch swing. Double-hung paned windows adorning the front with wooden shutters on each side.

He pulled over into the driveway and turned off the car. Bronx was already dancing around in the backseat. As soon as the door was opened, he launched himself out and immediately ran up the steps to the door.

When I got out of the car, Ben turned to me, “Let me explain things to my dad real quick. Give him a chance to absorb it all before he meets you again.”

I held my hands up and let out a nervous laugh, “That's just fine with me.” Then I noticed the 1976 mustang sitting outside of the attached garage and pointed at it. “Is that car he was talking to you about?”

He looked to where I was pointing and nodded. “Yep, that’s it. He’s actually very car savvy, so I don’t know why he called me over. But,” he shrugged. “It’s his baby. Anyway, wait here. we’ll be out in a minute.

“Sure, no problem,” I said finally and he followed Bronx to the porch before letting himself in. Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the automotive classic beauty.

  


It was already lifted with the carjack underneath. Clearly, Ben’s father had it set and waiting for when he arrived. I could see why he would want his car looked at carefully. This thing was a beauty! Who wouldn’t want the best to take care of it?

In the corner of my eye, I saw a red plastic creeper next to the toolshed. Checking if the coast was clear, I quickly made my way over to pull it out and set it down by the car. Then I went back to Ben’s Tahoe to pull out my rucksack that carried most of my car-handy tools and placed it next to the creeper. It took me a few tries to get down on the thing because my center of gravity is already beginning to shift. Finally, I managed to just squat down on top of it before lying back until I was down on the headrest. I unzipped my bag, put on my gloves and mask, then using my arms, I pulled myself to the undercarriage.

There was moisture everywhere and it was hard to see where it was coming from. I scooted myself down a little to reach for my drill in the bag and pulled myself back up. I started unscrewing the drip pan so I could see what was under it. It fell to the ground with a loud clang and I flinched, worried that Ben and his father would’ve heard it from inside.

I waited a few seconds until I was certain they didn’t hear before getting back to work. Had to reach into the bag again for my flashlight because I couldn’t see a damned thing. But my nose beat me to it. I could smell antifreeze.

I was already screwing the drip pan back on when I heard someone shout, “Hey, what are you doing?”

Ben’s father, it had to be. I recognized his voice from yesterday. But this was my element. Instead of being intimidated by his harsh tone, I simply said through my mask, “I’m diagnosing your car.”

“What?” He demanded. “Who asked you to look at it?”

“Hang on, Dad, give her a chance.” I heard Ben say. Then to me, “Do you know what's wrong with it, Rey?”

I pushed myself out from the undercarriage and gave them both a pointed look. “It’s leaking coolant.” I put my drill back in the bag and moved to stand. But that was proving to be as difficult as getting on, so I held my hand towards Ben. “Sorry, do you mind?”

Without a word, he took my hand and hoisted me back onto my feet. I turned towards his father and pulled my mask down to speak to him properly, “It’s Han Solo, correct?” He nodded so I kept going. “I’m going to pop the bonnet to get a closer look. Do you have a pressure tester and an adapter kit I could use?”

His expression hardened and he crossed his arms. Immediately I could see the similarities between him and his son. “While I’ll admit that you’re good at cleaning parts and have a keen eye for faults, why should I let you anywhere near the engine? I don’t know you that well, Missy.”

“Dad!” Ben admonished and I crossed my own arms.

“The name’s Rey.” I corrected him, keeping my arms crossed. “And for your information, I understand completely why you would be hesitant in letting me work on this car. She’s a gem.” I laid a gentle pat on the passenger door. Normally, I’d be alarmed by his hostility. But when it came to mechanics, this was my territory. I knew what I was talking about and I was going to prove it. “In fact, I’ve worked on her before.”

I swear I saw a vein throb in his neck. “Come again?”

“Five years ago; a punctured fuel tank. Ring any bells?” I asked, nonchalantly looking down at my nails.

He looked cynical. “How’d you know about that?”

“I was in Plutt’s care at the time.” I let my face break out into a smile. Oh, this had to be the most fun I’ve had in weeks. “I, along with other fosters, would help him around the garage and I learned a few things here and there. Plutt was busy and Teedo was...Teedo. So he had me work on it. Purred like a kitten afterward, didn’t she?”

“Sure did.” He said, stunned. His entire posture ambled away. “That was you?”

I nodded, relieved. “Yes, and a year ago I got my mechanics license. Had a good job at another auto repair shop in Yonkers for a good while. With that information, do you think I’m capable of giving it a go now?”

He looked up at Ben, “This is the same girl you knew back then?”

“Yep, that’s her.” He confirmed. “Tough as nails with a heart of gold.”

Han turned to me once more. His arms uncrossed and he gave me a short nod. “Ben’s already vouched for you and given that you’ve already worked on my girl here, I think I can give you another shot.”

Ben’s face scrunched up. “I thought mom was your girl.”

“She was and always will be, son.” His father said with a hearty laugh, “But Amy here was the first car I ever bought with my own money. I’d wanted a mustang since they first came out in 64.”

As he was talking, I popped open the bonnet to have a look at what I was dealing with. “May I have that pressure tester, Mr. Solo?”

“Oh, call me Han please. ‘Mr. Solo’ makes me feel old.” Ben was about to retort but he held his finger up. “Don’t start, son.” Then back to me, “Be back in a minute.” 

Meanwhile, Ben put his hands in his pockets and leaned against the side of the car. His expression unreadable.

“What?” I asked, with feigned innocence.

He shook his head with a twitch of his full lips, “I certainly underestimated you.”

I ignored him and instead waited patiently until Han came back with the pressure tester and adapter kit. Putting my mask back in place, I get to work. I removed the radiator cap from the cooling system, then connected the adapter to the pressure tester. After a few pumps, I could hear the spurts of liquid coming out so bad that I was barely getting any pressure.

In the corner of my eye, I saw Ben's expression become concerned. He turned to his father, “Dad, that sounds awful. How long has it been like this?”

Han rubbed at his eyes, “About a week.”

“Hmmm,” I hummed as I leaned over as far as I could with the flashlight. My mouth fell open at what I saw. “It’s the sensor that’s leaking the coolant. Did you let Teedo work on her?”

“Er, yeah.” He asked, “I brought her to Plutt’s about a month ago.”

I held my hand out as I kept my eye on the sensor, “I have a long needle-nose plier and screwdriver in my rucksack. Could you get those for me please?” Both tools were placed in my hand and craned my neck to get a better look as I reached in with the screwdriver first. I was almost laying completely on top of it. Placing the tailcap between my lips, I started fiddling around to look for the pin. 

Finally, I got the little bastard out. It was where the leak was coming from. At closer inspection, I could see what was wrong. I held it up with one hand to show both of them as I kept searching, “Your sensor doesn’t have a gasket. Here,” I let Han take it to inspect as I used the pliers to reach for the gasket. Sure enough, I managed to get it out. But it was in terrible condition. It was stretchy and hanging like a piece of pasta.

“Well, your gasket is shite.” I clicked my tongue and pulled away from the engine. “Do you have another sensor?”

Han bobbed his head once, “Yeah, I just bought some.”

“Brand new?” I edged. “The one that Teedo put was clearly outdated and on its way. I don’t think this girl can take another one.”

He waved his hand, “Yeah, yeah they’re all new and still in the box. Scout’s honor.”

I nodded, pleased. “Alright then. Bring it on over.”

Installing the new sensor was a piece of cake. Not to mention that it was actually in the proper condition to be used. When I finished, I reattached the pressure tester and pumped. This time, there was no sound of squirting or leaking and the gauge actually moved this time. I pumped it until the pressure built to about fifteen PSI and made sure it held.

“Looks good,” I told them. Then I unhooked the tester and brought the bonnet back down. “Let’s get the crankshaft out and turn her on. We’ll be able to tell if it worked.”

Ben lowered the car back to the ground before his father hopped into the driver’s seat. Then he lowered himself to the ground and waited for him to turn it on. When the car switched on, we waited patiently to make sure that there weren’t any more leaks.

“How does it look?” I asked him.

He stayed down for a little longer before beaming up at me, “Not a drop. You did it, Rey!” he got up to his feet to give a thumbs up to Han. 

I took off my mask when his father turned the car off and stepped out. He looked at me with a new glint in his eye. “You’re good.”

Filled with a new sense of pride I grinned. “I know.”

Han met Ben’s eyes once before looking at me again. “Ben told me that you quit working for Plutt.”

“In a sense,” I admitted, suddenly feeling shy. “I more or less left with only a note. I was desperate at the time and I needed a place to stay. I’d been living in my car for a couple of days because my boyfriend spent the rent money behind my back and got us evicted.”

“Yeah, Ben was telling me.” He said, rubbing his chin. “Where were you working before?”

“Just a small auto repair shop in town,” I explained softly. “It wasn’t much, but as you can see, I’m good at mechanics. I enjoyed it and it paid well enough.”

“Why did you quit?” He asked gently.

“My ex-boyfriend convinced me to,” I said with contempt as my hand instinctively went to my bump. “Said that all the fumes would be bad for the baby and to wait until I gave birth. He said would be taking double shifts to provide for all of us. Instead, he ran away to his parent’s house and left me.” Ben came over to stand beside me in a comforting gesture. “As for what happened fourteen years ago, yes. I was that little girl that Ben befriended. I never thought I would see him again, but I’m glad I did.”

He smiled at me with great approval. “You left quite an impression on my son. I could see the change in him with my own eyes. He’d finally started to enjoy life again. So thank you,” he held his hand out to me, “for being my son’s friend.” I took his offered hand and he gave a firm shake. 

“So,” he started when we dropped our hands, “I’m a retired pilot with nothing but time on my hands. I’m set to open up my own dealership next month and I haven’t got any mechanics yet. If you’re interested, I could offer you a position. That is if you don’t mind the drive over from the city.”

I blinked at him, amazed. “Are you offering me a job?”

He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “If you want it.”

The next thing that happened surprised everyone. I jumped on him and wrapped my arms around his neck in gratitude, almost knocking him over. Tears of joy sprang from my eyes as I became overwhelmed with delight.

“Thank you,” I told him earnestly through the sniffling. “Thank you so much! You don’t know how much I needed this!”

“Hey now, come on.” He said, choking up a little as he hugged me back. “No need for tears. This job isn’t going to be easy. I plan on working you to the bone.”

“Oh please!” Ben exclaimed, incredulous. “If any of the stories mom told me when she was pregnant with me were true, you won’t even let her near an engine without a ten-foot pole!”

Han laughed and spoke over my shoulder, “She has a mask, she’ll be fine.” I laughed at his sarcasm and held him tighter. When we pulled apart, he gave me a firm look, even though he was smiling. “Now I won’t actually make you work too hard right now.” He glanced down at my bump briefly before meeting my eyes again. “There won’t be any heavy lifting for you, period. No more working on the undercarriage. Nothing personal, but you’re going to have a tougher time getting up from a creeper as you get bigger. Speaking of, after you hit a certain point in your pregnancy, I might have to put you at a desk until after you have the baby. Until then, you’ll mainly be cleaning parts and working under the hood. Is that alright with you?”

“It’s more than alright,” I assured him eagerly. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“Well,” Han sauntered back over to the mustang. “You did fix my favorite car. I normally don’t let anybody but Ben and myself touch her. I’d say we're even.”

“The car is older than I am.” Ben pointed with annoyance.

Han smirked, rubbing the door seal. “Yeah, and she’s full of memories. Most of them are dates with your mom.”

“Ugh,” Ben groaned, making a face. “I think we can live without hearing date night stories. I swear that most of the fights you two had were over this car.”

That made his father shrug. “I don’t see why, given that I gave her the best present in that backseat.”

Ben frowned, “What was that?”

Han grinned and said just one word. “You.”

Sudden understanding dawned on his face and he let out a disgusted whine, “Oh, _Dad,_ that’s gross!”

His father let his head fall back as he started laughing. “Hey, you asked.”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting that, ” he rubbed his eyes with his index finger and thumb before pinching the bridge of his nose, “Good God, I rode in that backseat!”

“We were at the movies!” Han said in defense. “It was a month before the wedding. And I reupholstered the interior! Don’t tell me you never had a date in the back of your car.”

“Not when I have a perfectly good bed at my place!” Ben retorted.

“I couldn’t take her to my house, she lived with her folks until we got married.” Han turned to me. “Can’t say I blame them, I was a little older than she was. But they would’ve keeled over if they knew she was the one who jumped me first.”

“I’m not listening to this! I’m deaf!” Ben brought both his hands up to cover his ears and started shaking his head. “Nope, can’t hear you! Nuh-uh! La! La! La! Rey, I’ll meet you in the car! Let’s go, Bronx!” He walked away in the opposite direction followed closely by his canine companion and I hid my own laughter behind my hand, disguising it as a cough.

“He gets his theatrics from his mother,” Han explained to me. “She’d get pretty dramatic too.” His face became downcast as he shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. “Some days I miss that. She would be so proud of him if she saw him today.”

“I wish I could’ve met her,” I said gently.

He cast me a sideways smirk, “I know she would’ve liked you.”

  
  



	6. It's a Girl!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse of the moment when Rey found out she was having a baby girl. That and some insight of her life in foster care and how it has affected her later in life.

Han was an absolute gentleman. Meeting him was a real treat. Not only was he welcoming, but he’d also offered me a job when he opened his garage next month. A few days later, he met me at the warehouse where he intended to open up his garage. The workbenches and all the other machinery were still being installed, but he was able to show me the floorplans.

It looked like it was going to be amazing. I even believed that it was going to be nicer than the auto shop I worked at before Plutt’s. Certainly more spacious. It was going to be a couple of weeks before it opened but I was excited to get back to work. I can’t just wander around Ben’s apartment all day, I’d go mad. Yes, I was going to end up with doing paperwork for his father when I got further into my pregnancy, but it was something to do so I could still earn a living.

That’s probably what thrilled me the most. I was going to get paid a proper wage and that meant that I could start saving again. Ben had assured me that the bills and rent were all covered at his flat; given that he outright refused to take any money from me. Which, in the end, gave me plenty of legroom to put money aside for an apartment of my own for myself and the baby. But that wasn’t going to be for some time.

Meanwhile, I could settle for using the pool and the gym here in the building. It certainly gave me something to do. When I was done with my shower after my swim, I decided that I’d cook dinner for the two of us. 

I’d already begun prepping by the time Ben got home from work. I informed him that it would be ready by the time he got back from taking Bronx for a walk. I was alerted to their return after an hour and a half just as the timer went off. A few seconds later, they both walked into the kitchen. Bronx trailing beside Ben like the ever-loyal companion he was.

I greeted him with a welcoming smile, as I took the pan out of the oven. “Welcome back!”

“Hey,” he greeted back with a smile of his own. He sniffed the air. “That smells _amazing!_ What are you making?”

“Eggplant parmesan,” I told him simply and I glanced at my watch. “It still has to cool, so it’ll be ready in just a minute. Do you mind setting the table for me?”

“Sure, no problem.” He rolled his sleeves up to his elbows before joining me in the kitchen to grab the plates and silverware. “It’s been years since I’ve had it homemade. What’s the occasion?”

I shrugged nonchalantly. “No occasion. You’ve been doing most of the cooking since I got here and I wanted to show my appreciation.” I walked with the tray to the dining table and set it down. “That and I had been craving it like you wouldn’t believe.”

“I hear that.” He joined me at the table with the silverware and salad bowl. When we finally sat down to eat, he took a bite of the eggplant and he let out a hum of bliss. He gave a firm nod, “This has got to be the _best_ eggplant parmesan I have ever tasted!”

I blushed at the compliment. “Thank you.”

He shook his head and took another bite. “No, I mean it. Where did you learn to cook?”

“While I was in foster care,” I said with a shrug. “None of the other kids I lived with fancied sharing their toys or electronics, so I mostly read books or watched television. One family I stayed with really liked watching cooking shows and had shelves upon shelves filled with cookbooks. They’d give all the kids in the house a weekly allowance. I was twelve at the time, so while the other kids spent their money on toys, I spent it on groceries so I could try and replicate a recipe. Then when I lived with Plutt, he was rarely around and we only ate TV dinners. It drove me crazy so I started cooking all the meals. Didn’t bother him much because it made him look for ‘making sure’ that the kids got their three meals. I even packed their lunches as well as my own. I was the eldest out of all the children he fostered while I was there. I guess you could say I was like the mother hen.”

He tilted his head thoughtfully as he chewed on his portion. “So you looked out for them?”

My eyes cast downward. “Kind of. They were middle school ages, so it wasn’t easy for me to connect with them on a personal level. That and they were never there for more than a few months at a time. Either they were adopted or moved to another home. I doubt they even knew I was foster like them. I think they just saw me as a housekeeper.”

“Did you bond with any of them?” He asked gently. “I mean, you must’ve had some friends.”

“No, not really,” I said with a shake of my head. “I mean, when I was younger I got on well enough with the other kids my age. Borrow a brush here or a book there. Help each other with homework if we could. But, looking back, I feel like we were more roommates than anything else. Minding our own business.”

He frowned slightly. “What about at school?”

“Well, I was never in one town long enough to really get close to anyone,” I explained slowly as a wave of sadness suddenly overcame me. “I think that’s why when I met Armi, I was relieved I’d finally had a friend. A real friend. The first one I’ve had since...well _you_ actually.” I said, gesturing towards him with my fork. “He later became my boyfriend. He was my first everything. Literally. First love, first kiss, first time, and first heartbreak.”

“Hey,” He said, cutting me off before I could trail off further into Depression Lane. “It’s his loss. Now he doesn’t get to have any of this delicious meal. More for me!”

I smiled at his attempt to break in some humor to the conversation. Of course, it helped me feel better. I continued, “Anyway, the food always came out fine. When he and I got our apartment, I did most of the cooking because, out of the two of us, I was the only one who knew how.” I made a face. “You know, looking back, that git couldn’t even boil water without mucking it up?”

“How do you mess up boiling water?” He asked, confused.

“Easy. You put the pot of water over the heat and leave it there on high unattended until it completely evaporates into nothing and then you have to start all over.” I said with a straight face.

He blinked and I could see the disbelief in his face. “That is bad.”

“Right?” I asked in agreement. “He would’ve survived off of instant ramen if I hadn’t cooked for the both of us. At least I’m able to take care of myself. I’m going to make sure that my baby can do the same.”

“Speaking of the baby,” he started, his tone casual, “Were you able to make an appointment with your doctor?”

“I did. Tomorrow actually. But not with my doctor.” I told him as I helped myself to some of the salad. “He recommended one here in town so I didn’t have to travel too far for each checkup.”

“What time is the appointment?” He asked, before taking another bite of the eggplant and he moaned in bliss.

“It’s at 2:15. They’re going to do a routine checkup.” I said with a new sense of excitement. “Then they’re going to identify the gender as well.”

He gave me a teasing smirk, “What, no gender reveal party?”

“No thanks,” I said instantly. “I feel like they’re too pretentious. I don’t need a party just to find out the gender. More simple just to get it over with when I’m getting the ultrasound.”

“What are you thinking?” He asked, curious. “Boy or girl?”

“Hmmm,” I thought for a moment. “You know, I’m not sure.” Now that he’s mentioned it, I don't think I’ve thought about the gender once. Maybe briefly when I first found out I was pregnant but not much after if at all. Probably because I’d been so stressed about everything else that I didn’t really have time to consider it.

“Any preference?” He prodded.

I pondered a bit before replying, “I suppose a lot of women hope for a girl of their own and I’m no exception. But a boy would be nice too.”

“I bet it's a girl. I can picture a mini you running around.” He mused. “Maybe come out with a wrench in hand and ready to work on the next car that breaks down.”

“That would be a picture.” I thought out loud with a giggle. “Maybe I should get a toy toolset for the baby to practice with.”

“I don’t see why not. Speaking of tools,” he paused briefly to dab at his mouth with a napkin. “Did you still need to stop by a hardware store?”

I swallowed my mouthful with a nod. “Yeah, I wanted to modify the closet with some shelves so I’d have a place to put the baby’s things. Is that alright?”

“Sure,” he responded slowly. “But, you know I could just get you a baby dresser.”

Immediately, I started shaking my head back and forth. “You’ve already got my health insurance covered and offered to pay for the crib and changing table. Woodshop was one of my electives in high school. All I need is my screwdriver, screws and shelving. I already have two out of the three, so the whole thing shouldn’t even cost me $40.”

He chuckled and held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, I won’t buy a baby dresser. But don’t expect me not to buy toys for the little one.”

“As long as it’s not anything too extravagant,” I said warily. “It’s not that I don’t want the baby to have nice things. But there need to be boundaries. I don’t want the baby to grow up spoiled and unappreciative. He or she is going to understand the meaning of the word ‘no’ as well as that money doesn’t grow on trees. I don’t want to have to deal with a temper tantrum at a shop because they couldn’t get any sweets.”

He nodded slowly, “I can respect that. How about this,” he took a sip of his water. “I run the gifts by you first. Birthdays or Holidays, I won’t buy anything without your approval. Is that more reasonable?”

That _was_ a good compromise. But, he could be sneaky when he wanted to. “Price tag included?” 

He made a face. Yep, caught him. “Fine.”

I felt my lips stretch into a satisfied smile. “I think that’s perfect. I appreciate it, Ben.”

He smiled again as he proceeded with the meal. “Anytime. So, were you planning on going before or after the appointment?”

I took a sip of my own water before answering. “I think before. Just to get it out of the way. Why?”

“Do you mind if I tag along?” He asked politely. “I’m thinking about redecorating my office. Thought I’d have a look at paint for some inspiration. We can take my car and then when we’re done shopping, I can drop you off at your appointment.”

“Won’t you be at the gym?”

He held up three fingers. “Just two classes in the morning and then I have one in the evening. I’ll be out of there by noon. I can pick you up, we’ll go to the store and then I can drop you off at your appointment.”

“What will you do in the meantime?” I asked. “I don’t know how long I’ll be there. Even with an appointment, I could be sitting in the lobby for a good while before I get called in by the doctor.”

“No problem.” He said, undeterred. “I could probably stop somewhere to eat while you’re there. Then when the appointment is over, you can call me and I’ll come get you.”

I did like the sound of that. Kill two birds with one stone and I wouldn’t have to drive. “You know what? That would be great.”

He grinned. “I am to please, milady.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. Don’t get smart. Eat your eggplant.”

“Yes, mom.”

* * *

The following morning was a pleasant one. I’d woken up not long after Ben went on his run with Bronx. As always, the little pittie would greet me at my door, waiting for me to come out.

It had quickly turned into a routine. Ben would be up by 7:00 am and leave with Bronx while I would usually sleep in a few more hours. When he got back, he would take a quick shower, make himself a smoothie and head off to work. I’d normally putter around the flat for a bit or go to the pool downstairs for a swim. When I would finish with that, I come back up and sit with Bronx on the couch and watch television. I’d say that he and I had become rather close in the short time we’ve known each other.

His presence right now was a comfort actually. Amidst the nice start to my day, I was quite tense. He followed me into the kitchen as I took a seat at the counter and looked on my phone to look for new messages or missed calls. I’d called Armi a few times as well as texted him to let him know about the appointment today. So far, there’s been no response. I’d been hoping that maybe in the last few weeks he’d grown a set. Then I reminded myself that he was probably still being babied by his mum.

I rolled my eyes at the thought. _Sure, he’s definitely grown up with mummy dearest doing everything for him. Damned Momma’s boy!_ Before I could mentally berate his character further, my phone buzzed in my hand.

It was him! I hit pressed ‘answer and held the phone to my ear. “Hello?” I answered, a little too enthusiastically. 

I wasn’t expecting the harshness of his tone. “ _Why are you blowing up my phone all of a sudden?_ ” Was the response I got.

My enthusiasm from a second ago diminished instantly. “I’m going in for an ultrasound today,” I informed him calmly. “The doctor’s going to determine if it’s a boy or a girl.”

“ _And?_ ” He asked, impatient.

I grit my teeth, trying not to lose my cool. “ _And_ I thought it would be a good idea to let you know in case you wanted to come along.”

I heard him snort on the other line. “ _Why would I do that? What part of ‘we’re over’ do you not understand?_ ”

“Oh, I understand all of it,” I responded in a dead tone. “This isn’t about us. This is about the baby. The baby that _we_ made together. Just because we are no longer in a relationship, that doesn’t mean we aren’t still going to be parents. There’s a thing called co-parenting. Don’t you want to be there when we find out what we’re having?”

“ _There goes that ‘we’ again._ ” He whined. “ _How do I know that this baby is even mine?_ ”

“There you go with _that_ again.” I retorted, annoyed. “You know, if you are so unsure, I have no objections to having a prenatal DNA test.”

“ _A what?_ ” He asked, sounding confused.

 _What on Earth did I see in this man? Was he always this immature?_ I thought to myself as I tried to not throw my phone at the wall in frustration. “It’s a test to determine the paternity of a fetus while it is still inside the womb.”

“ _That’s a thing?_ ”

“Yes, it’s a thing,” I explained slowly. “We can get it over with before the baby even gets here.”

“ _How much does it cost?_ ”

“Don't know,” I admitted, quickly running out of patience. “Not my concern. You’re going to have to find out on your own and you’ll be the one to pay for it. I’m not putting a cent into it because I’m not the one who has doubt. But, that can be discussed at a later date. This is about discovering the baby’s gender. Do you want to be there or not?”

There was a long contemplative sigh. I waited patiently before he spoke again. “ _What time is the appointment?_ ”

A little spark of hope lit up inside me. “At 2:15 this afternoon.” Maybe there was hope after all? “I’m going to check in at 2 and I might be waiting there for a bit anyway. So that should give you a twenty-minute window.”

“ _I'll try to make it._ ” He responded. “ _Send me the address._ ”

I let out a breath of relief. “That’s all I ask. Thank you, Armi.” He made a noise of affirmation before hanging up. 

Well, it wasn’t much but it was something. Things might be rocky between the two of us but that doesn't mean we can’t still get along for the sake of the baby. I’m willing to swallow my pride and be civil even though he has yet to do the same.

“Good news?” I heard Ben asked from the couch, startling me as I was just about to text the address.

I rubbed the side of my temple. “Sort of. I just might have convinced Armitage to come to the appointment today.”

His brows went up with surprise. “Oh really?”

“Yeah,” I said with a hesitant nod.

“How do you feel about that?” He asked carefully.

“I'm not too sure,” I told him. “It’s been almost a month since I last saw him and it wasn’t on the best of terms.”

He snorted. “That’s putting it mildly.” 

“Doesn’t matter,” I stated firmly. “If he wants to be there, great. This is all for the baby. He’s still the father and he has that right.”

“You got a point there.” He got up from the couch and checked his watch. “Ready to hit the road?” 

“Born ready.”

* * *

The hardware store was about five miles away from the flat and a ten-minute drive from the clinic. It was very convenient because it meant that we didn’t have to rush too quickly. I only spent about twenty minutes in the shelving area where I found matching wood for the closet and had it cut for me. I met Ben in the paint section just as he was having his selection sealed. Satisfied with our purchases, we left the store just with just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat.

We went through a drive-through window at a fast-food restaurant that was in the parking lot. Sat in the car and ate our food while we chatted about how it reminded us of when we were younger. Him climbing over the fence with whatever he could get. One time, he brought over a meal similar to the one we were having now. He got me a kid’s meal that came with a prize and everything. I remember that I had actually started crying because no one had ever given me a present before. Elizabeth wasn’t a present. I’d found her on my own on the ground at a park when I was three-years-old.

“I never thought you would cry over a cheap plastic cat.” He said as he took a bite out of his sandwich. “Scared the daylights out of me.”

I tried to keep from spitting out my food as I laughed with him. “You know I still have it?”

He swallowed his mouthful and gaped at me. “You’re kidding!”

“It’s a little worse for wear but otherwise fine.” I took another bite of my sandwich before I checked the time on my phone. The appointment was in twenty minutes. With a sigh, I turned to him again, “I think we better get going.”

He checked the time and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, alright.” We wrapped our meals and put them back in the bags before putting our seatbelts on. When he turned the car on, he asked, “Any word from your ex?”

“Oh,” that’s right. I hadn’t checked my phone in a while. I fished it out of my bag and let out a disappointed sigh. “No, nothing. But that could mean he’s driving.”

He didn’t say anything. Just pulled out of the parking lot and drove onward to the clinic. He dropped me off at the entrance and asked me to text him as soon as the appointment was over so he could pick me up. I agreed and waved at the car as he drove off. 

I walked inside into the lobby and checked myself in with the receptionist. Writing my name down on a small spreadsheet before handing it back to her. I was a little early but I didn’t mind the wait. I usually keep a word search book with me just to pass the time.

As soon as I sat down on an adjacent chair, I heard my phone ding from inside my bag. I pulled it out and unlocked it. Smiling when I saw it was Ben.

My thumbs speedily typed up a response.

I slipped my phone into my pocket, then took out my word search and a pencil. But I couldn’t focus on the puzzle. Every few seconds, I would check the clock on the wall before glancing at the door. After a while, I gave up on the search puzzle and decided to focus on the television that hung on the wall. But I couldn’t focus on that much either. It was like every tick of that clock was mocking me.

My knee bounced up and down as I fought to keep my growing panic at bay. I didn’t know which was making me more nervous. Waiting for my ex to show up or that I was about to find out what the gender of my child is going to be. The last time I saw him, he’d slammed the door in my face. Ending our relationship.

I bit my lower lip and glanced at the clock. It was 2:32. I’d officially been waiting in the lobby for over a half-hour. Watching people walk in and out while I just sat there quietly. Not unheard of, even with an appointment. But still, my phone remained silent.

Armi still hadn’t shown up yet. I thought about texting him myself but then decided not to. What was the point? He knew where he was supposed to go and what time he had to be there. I shouldn’t have to remind him every five minutes. He was a grown man and he needed to start acting like it.

My fidgeting came to an abrupt halt when I heard a woman call out, “Rey Niima?”

I turned my head to see a female doctor standing in the lobby with a clipboard in her hand. Feeling a little timid, I stood up from my seat. “Right here.”

Her eyes met mine and she scribbled something onto her board. “Please come this way and follow me.” She headed down the hall that let out of the lobby.

Remembering that Ben asked me to let him know what was happening, I sent him a quick text.

I gathered my things and stood up from the chair before giving one last desperate glance at the door. It looked like I was doing this on my own after all. I wasn’t surprised, but it still stung.

“Are you alone?” The doctor asked me as I made my way over.

My mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. “I—

“Hey!” A familiar deep baritone voice called out from behind, followed by the sound of a door closing.

I looked over my shoulder and my mouth fell open in amazement at the man walking towards us. “Ben?”

“Sorry I’m late.” He said casually as if we’d been expecting him. “I couldn’t find a parking place anywhere.”

“Are you the father?” The doctor asked instantly.

 _Someone shoot me!_ I thought with panic. Not that I could blame her for asking the question. What other reason would a man come to a fetal ultrasound appointment unless he was the father? I couldn’t deny that it did seem odd.

“No, but I am a close friend of Rey’s.” Ben corrected her before I could say anything. Then he looked over and winked at me. “I came for moral support.”

 _You sneaky devil!_ I thought as I felt the tension leave my body. In truth, I was relieved to see him. Grateful more like. If I could pick anyone to be there for me during this appointment, it would be him.

In fact, at that moment, I was almost glad Armi didn’t show up. I’d only invited him as a sign of good faith and that I bear no ill will towards him. Well, that changed.

The doctor led us through the halls until stopping at a smaller room that was carpeted and painted universal khaki walls with pieces of art hanging above the exam table and visitors' chairs. There was a small window with the shades drawn at the far end of the room. Not far from it, an ultrasound system with a tall stool right next to it.

As soon as she left the room, I turned my head to face him and whispered, “Well done. You know you didn’t have to come. I would’ve been fine by myself and I’m pretty used to it by now.”

“I know.” He said gently as he shuffled from one foot to the other. “But I wanted to be the first to know if I needed to buy a pink or blue teddy bear.”

I snorted, “Very funny.”

He chuckled but kept going. “I also know that, even if you won’t admit it, deep down you don't want to be. Why be alone when you can have a friend here with you?” 

My hand came up to stop a stray tear from escaping my eye. In truth, I was relieved to have him here with me. In those few seconds, after the doctor asked if I was alone, I was almost petrified. I know the people in the lobby could see me looking back and forth from the clock to the front door. It was pretty damn obvious I’d been waiting for the father of my child to appear.

“You’re right. I’m really happy that you’re here.” I admitted to him. Then I narrowed my eyes, suspicious. “But, how did you know he didn’t make it? I watched you drive away after dropping me off.”

His cheeks tinted pink and he cleared his throat. “I did do that. For about fifteen minutes. Given what this guy has put you through already, I didn’t trust him not to pull a stunt here. So I turned the car around and came back. Sat in the parking lot and waited.”

“So that was why you texted me earlier,” I said with a small sniffle. “When you asked if I checked in and to keep you updated.”

“It was a sneaky way to check if your ex made it.” He said bashfully. “You would’ve mentioned it if he had. So I waited to see if he would actually show up.”

“But you don't know what he looks like.” I pointed out.

“No, but I was confident it would be easy to spot a guy walking alone into a women’s clinic.” He shot back.

“So when I texted you to say I’d been called...” I started but couldn’t finish.

“I jumped out and came running.” He finished. “All the people that were in and out were either women or couples. So when you sent that message, I knew for certain that he didn’t show up.”

I let out a groan. “Good God, this is so pathetic. But to be honest, I think this might be a good thing. He’s made his intentions crystal clear twice now. I knew better. But I was ready to be an adult and work with him for the baby’s sake.”

“Which only further proves that you’re a bigger person than he’ll ever be. You’re putting your child first. He’s putting himself first.” He said with a pointed look. “And from what you’ve told me, that’s what he’s always done.”

“I’m just mad that I had to get pregnant for me to realize it,” I said sadly.

He shrugged and pursed his lips. “There are worse ways.”

“True,” I admitted.

Luckily, the awkward topic dissipated as the doctor walked back in and turned on all of the machinery. 

“Okay, Ms. Niima,” She started and plopped down onto the stool. Holding a small bottle that must’ve been the ultrasonic gel in one hand and a transducer in the other. “If you would lift up your shirt for me, please?” She squeezed its contents onto the device before pressing it to my bare abdomen. I flinched a little as she spread the cold gel around, keeping her eyes on the monitor.

I too kept a close watch on the screen. Not wanting to miss a second of it. They did an ultrasound when I first discovered I was pregnant. I could see the silhouette of the baby at the time but that was it. Right now, at first, there was just a fuzzy grey screen. The doctor moved the transducer slightly to the side and we could see some odd shapes come into form then…I saw it.

“Oh my God.” Ben breathed.

“There’s your baby.” She said gently.

I was speechless. This wasn’t at all like before. The image is clearer and there’s more detail. I couldn't see the baby’s nose. The small lips. The small flicker in the chest that was its heart.

It all came rushing back to me. My initial excitement when I first found out I was pregnant. But the excitement was quickly followed by the same fear that had plagued me. This little person was inside me. I am literally carrying a life that I have created.

“Okay, now,” the doctor started as she moved the transducer around, “We’re going to see if this little one will open its legs so we can determine what we’re having here.” The image on the screen almost looked like a frisbee. I watched the doctor squint at the image for a moment before looking at me with a smile, “Alright, it looks like you’re having a baby girl.”

“Really?” I asked as my bottom lip began to tremble. A girl. I was having a girl.

Ben leaned in to whisper in my ear, “Told you.”

“Shut up.”


	7. Let's Hash it Out!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is getting more and more along in her pregnancy and comfortable with her new life living with Ben and working for Han. She's finally beginning to some purpose for herself. Even making new friends. One day, she and Ben accidentally sink their teeth into some forbidden fudge. What is there to do now? Binge movies and have a pizza night! But will Rey's induced state cause her to do or say something that may cross the line in friendship with Ben?
> 
> *WARNING: This chapter contains the accidental ingestion of cannabis.*
> 
> *Note: This action was fiction meant to be an honest mistake due to misplacement, but it can accidentally happen. Be aware of your surroundings of who you accept food from. This does not condone the consumption of illegal substances during or not during pregnancies.*

__

_Courtroom (Present Day)_

Judge Lake listened to my testimony with genuine interest as I carried on about what I had gone through during the early stages of my pregnancy. Living in a shack that belonged to my former foster father. Ben finding me and taking me in. Meeting Han and getting a job at his shop. All these things leading up to when I found out I was having a girl.

After I mentioned the part where Armitage failed to be present for the ultrasound, she looked over at him and asked, “Mr. Hux, you didn’t go to the appointment?”

“No, Your Honor.” He said instantly.

“Why not?”

His expression looked as if it were obvious. “Why go when I know for sure that the baby isn’t mine? What’s the point?”

“Well, I believe we’ve already established that you _don’t_ know for sure.” She pointed out before she addressed me. “Ms. Niima did you tell him you were having a girl?”

“I messaged him right after and even sent him a picture of the ultrasound,” I explained.

“Did he respond?”

I fought not to roll my eyes, “He said ‘congratulations’ but that was it.”

“Mr. Hux, did you have any intention of going at all?” When he shook his head, she then asked, “Why then tell Ms. Niima that you’ll try to make it.”

"He shrugged nonchalantly. “I didn’t want her calling me every five minutes and I figured that agreeing was the only way to get her to stop. She was obsessed with me, even after we broke up.”

“Is that true, Ms. Niima?” The judge asked, turning to me. “I have to ask. Did you call Mr. Hux repeatedly after the two of you had broken up?”

I shook my head and kept my tone level even. “I only ever contacted him when it was in regards to the baby. With me, I have all of the text messages between us from when we broke up to this day. I let him know about every appointment in case he ever wanted to be present. I also suggested to him that we could take a prenatal DNA test while I was still pregnant.”

“Oh!” That seemed to really get her attention. “That’s certainly a smart idea. Mr. Hux, why not try that?”

I looked to see him scratch the back of his neck, “It’s too expensive. I couldn’t afford it.”

“Why not use the money you stole from me?” I demanded as my past hurt came rushing forth. “That was over $2,800 you took. Where did it all go?”

He swung his gaze at me and he sneered, “None of your business!”

“I beg to differ!” How dare he? He takes my money and spends it on who knows what, then he has the audacity to tell me that it was none of my business? How could one be someone self-righteous? 

There was a pounding sound and we both stopped talking to look as the judge pounded her gavel. “Let’s get some order.” Her gaze firm as it held mine, “Ms. Niima, I understand that you’re hurt. You feel that you’ve been wronged and you want him to know it, and you will have your say, but you have got to keep yourself calm. I’m not saying you can’t show your emotions because, speaking as a mother myself, I know that’s not easy. But none of that is why we’re here. We’re here for Alice, right?”

I closed my eyes and nodded. “Right.”

After I said that, the monitor lit up and showed a live video of Alice sitting in the nursery she’d been placed in. My heart filled with warmth while she smiled at the camera as she lifted a toy into her mouth. The audience “Awwed” at her as the Judge smiled and gushed at her picture. “Oh, she’s so cute!”

I heard Ben chuckle next to me as he too looked at the screen. “She is.”

“I can see in your eyes that you love this little girl, Mr. Solo.” The judge said with kind acknowledgment. “You’ve been with her since the very beginning.”

“It was hard not to fall in love with her, Your Honor.” He replied in earnest. “Just one look into those beautiful brown eyes was all it took for me.”

She smiled again, “And she’s why we’re here. This is all for her. If Mr. Hux is in fact her father, you are all going to need to work together. Somehow. She’ll need stability, not drama.”

My first instinct was to retort by explaining that I _did_ try to work with Armitage before we even got here. Then I felt Ben place his hand on my back again. Recentering me as I brought my focus back to the matter at hand. I knew that I would get my chance to say more as the trial proceeded forward. “Yes, Your Honor.”

“That’s alright, I know it’s hard.” She said with deep understanding. “I know you have more to tell the court and you will get your chance. Right now, we’re still going over the pregnancy. Why don’t you tell me about the new job you mentioned. Are you still able to work as a mechanic now?”

I nodded eagerly, my earlier anger dissipating almost as quickly as it came. “I am.” 

“Really?” She asked, suddenly intrigued. “Is it something you like doing, Ms. Niima?”

I felt a new sense of pride come forward as I nodded. “Very much, Your Honor. I also get to drive everything I work on.”

She smiled in approval as the audience started to clap, “Well good for you! Where do you work now?”

I gestured towards Ben as the clapping died down, “At my future father-in-law’s auto repair shop.” I cast a quick glance over my shoulder to smile at the man in question. Han sat quietly with the audience in the front row directly behind us.

“Mr. Solo’s father?” She inquired and I nodded in affirmation. Then she looked at Ben, “This true, Mr. Solo?”

Ben nodded while fighting a grin. “Yes, Your Honor.”

“Is he here now?” She asked.

“Yes.” We both said.

She looked past us to see Han wave from his seat. She pursed her lips in thought before turning to her bailiff, “Jerome, please escort him to the witness stand.”

The bailiff nodded and escorted Han through the swinging doors, past us and up the steps to the witness bench. He sat down and raised his right hand as he was sworn in.

When they were finished, the bailiff gave the okay to the judge and she gestured to Han, “Please state your name for the court, sir.”

“Han Solo,” He told her.

“Pleasure to meet you, sir.” She said, turning in her chair to face him. “Now you are the father of Ms. Niima’s fiance Ben Solo?”

“Correct,”

She scribbled something down into her notes as she kept talking, “Can you confirm her testimony that she started working for you not long after moving in with your son?”

He nodded once, “Yes, the following month actually. When construction was complete. She worked on repairs until she was at the end of her second trimester. From then until she was three weeks into her third, she was away from all the heavy machinery until I put her on maternity leave.” Then he cast a glance in my direction and winked at me. “She’s a hard worker and model employee.”

The judge’s eyes lit up as they landed on Ben, “I see you smiling, Mr. Solo, you seem very proud.”

He chuckled as a slight blush tinted his cheeks, “I am. I get more proud of her every day.”

“That’s so sweet.” She said, still smiling before she turned to me. “You appear to have found yourself a good man, Ms. Niima. And his father seems very taken with you too.”

“She’s like a daughter to me,” Han told her as he kept his eyes on me so I could see that his words held truth. “Over the years, she’s brought a lot of happiness to our lives, and her little girl Alice is a dream.”

The judge looked to him with a tilt of her head, her shiny curls bouncing with each movement. “So you have a bond with Ms. Niima’s daughter as well?”

He chuckled and scratched his nose with his thumb. Something he’d do whenever he felt bashful, which wasn’t often. “It was kinda hard not to grow attached, Your Honor. Ms. Niima didn’t like being away from her much, so she would bring her to work with her. We set up a little playpen for her in the office and everything.”

“I did it until she was about a year old,” I added quickly. “Then I enrolled her in daycare on days both Mr. Solo and I were working. Around the same time he and I started going together.”

“Very good.” She mused gently before turning to Han again. “Now, Sir, given your testimony, you have a fatherly bond with Ms. Niima, I have to ask you this. Has she ever confided in you that there may be someone else who could be Alice’s father? That she may have been intimate with someone else during the window of conception?”

Han shook his head firmly. “No, never. From the beginning, she has always maintained that she was only ever with her ex at the time. My son was the first person she had ever become involved with since and, as she said, that was much later.”

“Your Honor?”Armitage interjected while raising his hand. “How do we know she wasn’t involved with Mr. Solo before then? Since they were _so_ close, how are we sure that he didn’t sleep with her beforehand? They could be lying to you now. What proof does he have?”

“How about plane tickets and hotel receipts?” Ben chuckled quietly as he pulled out a few papers of his own. “Your Honor, I was on a nationwide tour to participate in nonprofit charity programs for troubled youth from early November to late December for the holidays. I have all the evidence right here.”

“Jerome, please bring Mr. Solo’s evidence.” She requested as the bailiff had already made his way over to our podium. Ben handed him the paperwork and he then gave to the judge who thanked him as she began to read. She analyzed it all before she looked over at Armitage with an arch of a perfect brow. “Well, Mr. Hux, based on this paperwork, Mr. Solo definitely wasn’t present at the time of conception. And I believe Ms. Niima’s testimony when she stated that she and Mr. Solo didn’t meet again until after she was already pregnant. So, once again, Mr. Solo has been ruled out.”

It gave me the guilty pleasure of watching Armitage’s face turn red. Whether it was from embarrassment or anger, I didn’t know nor care. He wanted to make a show of our business and he was getting it.

“Ms. Niima,” The judge started, looking at me once more. “We’ve covered the fact that Mr. Hux wasn’t present for the ultrasound that revealed you were having a girl. Did he attend any of the doctors' appointments after that?”

“None,” I stated flatly.

She leaned back into her chair and let out a loud sigh. “I knew this was gonna be a long one.” She straightened her back and interlocked her fingers. “Alright, Ms. Niima, walk me through the rest of your pregnancy.”

_Two Years Ago (28 weeks)_

I groaned loudly as I collapsed down into my chair after what had to be the fourth time I’ve relieved myself in the last two hours. The chair did little to help the aching pain in my lower back. As my middle grew in size, the pain became more prominent.

There was no hiding my belly now. What was once just a small pudge had metastasized into a round visible bump. As if I had taken a melon and swallowed it whole. According to the last doctor’s visit, the baby’s head was facing downward. Which was a relief, because that meant that the baby was where she was supposed to be. I’d been warned about the possibilities of a baby being breech and the dangers it could bring. Luckily, I didn’t have to worry about that.

However, there were other things I had to worry about. Such as hypertension. After I had gone to find out the baby’s gender, the doctor had me come in the following week for a full thorough examination. There, she discovered that I had high blood pressure and asked if I had been through any stress. I’d almost laughed. That was putting it mildly. I gave her the short version of what I had gone through with Armitage and she expressed some concerns. Nothing too terrible. Just that I may need to go on bed rest in my final month of the pregnancy if it spikes again.

The mere thought of being to do nothing except lying down drove me mad. So, as of two weeks ago, I’ve officially been placed on desk duty. As tall and agile as I was, even I had difficulty reaching for an engine when there was a big round belly in the way. That was when Han caught me. He’d watch me grow from when I first started working and it wasn’t hard for him to notice I was having more difficulty than usual to get around. Especially whenever I’d drop something. I could squat down to reach it, that was never a problem, but I would need a ledge of some kind to get back up.

I thought I would be able to prove him wrong, and I did...for all of ten minutes before I dropped something else and had to do it all over again. He laughed at me every single time. Especially whenever I would say no to his offered hand because I insisted that I needed no assistance. By the end of that day, I finally caved.

As a matter of fact, a small part of me was relieved that I wasn’t on my feet as much. They had already begun to swell a little and it was becoming harder and harder to get them into my trainers in the morning. Luckily Han was a very accommodating boss. I was working in an office adjacent to his where I handled most of the paperwork in regards to the cars that were brought in. Which is what I was doing up to this point until a certain pen rolled off the side of my desk.

“Damn it.” My lip curled at the offending piece of plastic that made its way to the far end of the room. _Of course._ Thank God my chair had wheels on it. I used my feet to propel myself toward it and attempted to reach with the tip of my shoe. Now one would think that rolling it back to me would be no sweat. Myself included. However, fate seemed to have other ideas because instead of getting the pen closer to me, it somehow flipped and rolled ever further away out of the office towards the cars.

I growled, “Bastard has a mind of its own!” Giving up on the chair, I got down on all fours and crawled after it. Muttering the whole way, “Stupid pens...should’ve stuck with quills...gonna shoot whoever invented this thing…” I finally got the small thing in my hand, letting out a laugh of triumph. But my victory was short-lived when I realized I stuck on the ground. There was a kick from within me as if the baby was saying _now you’ve done it!_

At this point, I had two options: crawl around the garage floor until I found something that I could hoist myself up on _or_ I could call for help. Neither sounded appealing to me. I hung my head down and let out a frustrated noise.

“Need some help?” I peeked over my shoulder to see a young short Vietnamese woman giving me a teasing smile as she held out her hand. Rose Louis, the welding queen. She started working here as soon as the place opened last month. She was just a few years older than me but her short height at five-foot-two had Han mistake her for a teenager when we first met. The knowing yet annoyed expression that adorned her face right after told me he wasn’t the first. Gave him a good shock when she calmly informed him that she was also married with a two-year-old son. Turned out that her husband, Finn, worked as a kickboxing instructor at Ben’s gym and he told her about the position. What were the odds? She was short and feisty and I loved her. Her and her khaki boiler suit. Luckily the feeling was mutual. 

I think I’d finally managed to make a girlfriend. We just got to talking about cars and the smell of brand new tires and it was like we were long lost sisters. Teasing included.

“You bet it isn’t,” I confirmed in irritation as I let her help pull me back up onto my feet. Containing her laughter as I continued to curse the pen I held in my hand. “Rose, who invented the pen?”

She tilted her head and looked around the room in thought, “John something...John J something...Loud I think. John J Loud.” She narrowed her eyes at me in suspicion. “Why?”

“Because,” I started while glaring at said object in my hand. “I want to find him and ask why he decided to make them cylindrical or hexagonal when he could have made it rectangular? Or what about triangular? What stopped him? What’s the point of making them roll? They can’t do it in a straight line! Not just them, but pencils too!”

When my rant finally died down, she blinked with an amused smile, “Feel better?”

“Yes,” I said, followed by a loud sigh. Which was then followed by another groan as my lower spine started aching. “Ow.”

Her smile dropped and her mirth became replaced with worry. “Okay, time to sit back down. Come on.” She took my hand and gently led me back to my chair. When I plopped back down and reached behind to gently massage the area. “How’s your back treating you?”

“Like there’s a large mass protruding from my middle and is putting unnecessary strain on it.” I griped with an amused chuckle.

She laughed too. “I know. I remember those days.”

I smiled and rubbed my stomach gently. “Speaking of, how’s Freddy been doing?”

A gleam appeared in her eye and she pulled out her phone. “He’s doing great. Check out what he made at daycare the other day.” She scrolled through her photos before showing me a paper covered in different colors of paint. Finger painting.

“He has a keen eye for color.” I complimented and I meant it. It was an artistic mess and it was beautiful. 

“Doesn’t he?” She gushed as she put her phone away. “How about you?” She gestured towards my bump. “You got any names picked out yet?”

I clicked my tongue. “Nope, not yet. Nothing really feels right, you know?”

“You try going alphabetical order?” She offered.

I shuddered. “That would take way too long and I don’t have that kind of patience to learn every single name in the English language.”

She bobbed her head from side to side playfully. “Nothing says you can’t look into other languages too.”

“I’d just start calling everybody ‘asshole’ from now on,” I concluded jokingly. “Forget names, they’re overrated anyway, we’ll just stick with ‘asshole’.”

“Creative.” She commented dryly as she rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, you’ll find it at the right moment. It may not even hit you until after she’s born. It does happen.”

I nodded, “True. When did you land on Freddy's name?”

“Oh, well it’s actually Frederick. Finn wanted to name him after his dad.” She admitted with a gentle smile. “I agreed on the condition we call him ‘Freddy’ for short.”

“I think that’s sweet,” I told her and I was being honest. Suddenly, my phone started vibrating in my pocket and I reached in to see that it was Ben calling. Surprised, I answered, “Hello?”

“ _Hi, Rey, is this a good time?_ ” He asked on the other line.

I checked my watch, “I was just wrapping up. Everything alright?”

“ _Yeah, kinda._ ” He said lamely. “ _I forgot that Bronx’s vet appointment was today. I was gonna bring him to the gym with me and take him there early after my classes were over but I forgot I had a meeting scheduled right after. I got so distracted by it that I forgot about the appointment and accidentally left him at home. I can’t get another one until next week and he needs his annual shots. The meeting could take up to two hours and it’s in five minutes. I can’t miss it. You mentioned that you only had a half-day today and I was wondering if you could help me?_ ”

My brows furrowed, “You want me to take him to the vet?”

“ _No! No!_ ” He said immediately. “ _Just bring him to the gym. The receptionist will let you into my office and you can leave him there._ ”  
  
“Oh, got it. Yeah, that’s not a problem. I’d be happy to.”

He sighed in relief. “ _Thank you! Thank you so much, Rey! I owe you!_ ”

I snorted, “Oh, come now. It’s the least I can do. Let me just finish up here and I think I can get him there with plenty of time.”

“ _You're the best, Rey!_ ” He proclaimed. “ _I’ll let Kaydel know you’re coming. Thanks again._ ”

I laughed gently, “You're welcome. I’ll see you tonight.”

“ _When I get home, we’ll order in._ ” He promised.

“Now you’re talking!” My mouth was already beginning to water. “Pizza?”

“ _Your wish is my command._ ” He vowed. “ _How about some appetizers and dessert too?_ ”

“Music to my ears.” I hummed. “I’ll have the menu out for you when you get home.”

“ _Alright, sounds good. See you later. Oh, and one more thing,_ ” He said quickly. “ _Whatever you do, don’t say the word ‘vet’ in front of Bronx. You’ll never get him out the door. He hates shots and hasn’t forgiven me ever since I took him to get neutered._ ”

“Gotcha, no problem. See you tonight.” I hung up and put my phone back in my pocket. When I lifted my head again, I saw that Rose had her brow curved upward. “What?”

She crossed her arms and her lips quirked with new mirth, “How’s Ben doing?”

“Fine,” I said slowly. “He forgot that he has to take Bronx to the vet and he can’t escape this meeting he’s about to go in. So, I’m going to drop him off.”

“Yeah, I got that.” She uncrossed her arms and rested them on her hips. “What do you think about him in general? I’ve only known him for a couple of years so I have no idea what he was like when he was a teenager.”

“Oh, well,” in truth, I thought the world of him. So far, since he’s let me stay with him, he’s been a very welcoming flatmate. Respecting my privacy and independence was like second nature to him. “In the short time I knew him back then, he was really sweet. Kind of like a protective brother. I guess you could say I’ve grown fond of him. He’s the most selfless person I know and I’m grateful for all he’s done for me. I mean, these last couple of months, he’s been so supportive of me. I’ve never had that before.”

“So the fact that he’s gorgeous makes no mind to you?” She asked slyly.

“It’s not like that.”

“Then why are you blushing?”

“I’m not blushing.” I denied just as heat rushed from my chest all the way up my neck. My hands flew up to my cheeks.

“Right.” She said in a disbelieving tone.

“Look,” I started calmly, keeping my tone even. “While I’ll admit that Ben is very attractive, he’s just a friend.”

“Finn and I were ‘just friends’ too.” She quipped.

“Besides, I have other things to worry about than my relationship status.” I reminded her while pointing at my bump. “I’ve sworn off men for a while. My main focus, right now, is the baby. I have no doubt that she’ll keep me plenty busy and then I won’t even have time to think about dating.”

“You do have a point there.” She concurred. “When Freddy was born, Finn and I became so preoccupied with him those first few months that we even forgot about our wedding anniversary.” She gave me a comforting pat on the shoulder. “One day, you’ll get back in the game.”

“I doubt it,” I admitted with a bit of hopelessness. After what happened with Armi, I don’t think I had it in me to let someone else into my heart without being afraid that they may break it. I knew that not all men were the same, Ben was a perfect example of that, but I still didn’t want to take that risk. So many people had left me already, I didn’t want it to happen again if I could help it.

“Well, should it happen, I want to pick out what outfit you're going to wear.” She pulled her hand away to check her own watch. “On an unrelated note, do you mind if I tag along with you to the gym?”

“Not at all, I’d like the company,” I said instantly. “But may I ask why?”

“My car is getting painted and won’t be ready until tomorrow. So Finn dropped me off this morning and that’s fine, but it’s such a long drive that we won’t make it back home until later tonight. I promise I wouldn’t be asking if you weren’t going there already.”

I nodded in understanding, “No, it’s alright. Is that why you were here so early?”

She smiled sheepishly, “Yeah, he dropped me off before his first class started. I could’ve taken the bus but it’s two hours each way. Which wouldn’t bother me if it was just one bus. But I’d have to take at least three different buses and make sure I didn’t miss any of them. At least this way, I could take a few laps on the treadmill. I have a yearly membership, so I may as well use it.”

“I had to take buses while I was still in Yonkers before I got my jeep,” I told her with understanding. “I know where you’re coming from. Let’s finish our work and I’ll meet you at the car after we clock out.”

She grinned before skipping away, “Love you, Rey!”

* * *

Rose and I chatted the whole way to Ben’s penthouse. Even when we made it inside, we bumped into Mr. Valentine and Diamond as he was getting off the elevator. Greeted the both of us kindly while Rose gushed over his small equestrian companion. The two of them remained in the lobby while I went up to get Bronx. Both were having a laugh at something when I came back down with him on the leash.

We said our goodbyes and headed to the gym next. This was actually my first time going, now that I’ve thought about it. After I moved in with Ben, I looked it up online to see more about it. It had high approval ratings that ranked four out of five stars. The website was well coordinated. Details of the classes they taught, youth programs, workout areas, a pool and jacuzzi, their faculty members, what was taught in each season and monthly to annual memberships. 

Ben had made a joke about me not needing any of the self-defense courses they taught because of the punch I’d thrown at him. The bruise it left had since healed but he still felt the need to tease me about it.

The gym building itself was a little intimidating upon closer inspection. It was three stories high, built with a brick exterior and plate glass windows, making it visible to see people working out on the exercise equipment. Before, I’d only ever driven by it so I never had the chance to actually admire its structure. I was almost afraid to go in.

Rose headed straight to the door without a care in the world and held it open for me as I kept a tight hold on Bronx’s leash. We all walked in and were immediately greeted by a young woman at the front desk. “I recognize that little pittie, anywhere! You must be Rey.”

“I am,” I told her while looking her over. She was pretty, looked to be around my age if not a little older, golden-brown hair, about Rose’s height, cute button nose, and light brown eyes. “Kaydel?”

“Yep! Ben, told me you were bringing him.” She leaned back and called out to a tall woman that had just passed by. “Hey, Phasma, are you busy?”

The woman in question paused to look over her shoulder at us, “Nope, class just finished. What’s up?” She was wearing a pair of neon green tracksuit bottoms and a grey tank top with a small towel hanging around her neck. As she got closer, I could recognize her from her photo on the website. Light blonde hair, tall, taller than Ben even, and an impressive muscular build. Gwyneth Phasma, fencing instructor of five years. She must prefer to go by her surname. Guessing by her accent, she was British too.

Kaydel gestured towards me as she pulled out a set of keys from a drawer, “This is Rey. Ben’s still in his meeting and she brought Bronx so he can take him to the...thing later. Would you mind letting her into his office for me?”

Phasma dabbed at some of the sweat on her face before taking the keys from her, “Sure, that’s no problem.” She looked over at us and her eyes landed on mine as she smiled. “You must be Rey.”

“Guilty,” I said with a shy wave.

She offered her hand and I shook it, “Gwen Phasma, but everyone calls me ‘Phasma’. Ben’s told me a lot about you.”

“Oh, God.” I groaned in protest.

She laughed, “All good things, I promise.” She then turned to Rose and smiled, “How’ve you been, pipsqueak?”

“As good as you, stilts.” Rose shot back and they both started laughing harder. “Finn in class?”

Phasma glanced down at her phone, “Actually he’s just about to take his last break, so you might be able to catch him by the snack machine before the next class starts.”

“Alright, then. I’ll leave you both to it. See you tomorrow, Rey,” She gave me a quick hug and did the same for Phasma and Kaydel before heading off.

“Right then, Rey, follow me,” Phasma ordered and started walking. She led me to an elevator and held the door open for Bronx and me before she followed. “So, I understand that ‘congratulations’ are in order.” She said after the doors closed. “I hope I didn’t startle you earlier. I know I can come across as intimidating sometimes.”

Feeling a little more at ease already, I smiled, “It’s alright. And thank you,” As if he could understand, Bronx bumped his nose against my protruding stomach. I looked down and scratched his ear, touched. Somewhere in me, I could feel that Bronx knew I was pregnant. It wasn’t too long after I’d moved it, but out of nowhere, he just became very protective of me and the baby. One night, he’d been whimpering and scratching at my door and didn’t stop until I let him in. When I finally let him in, he just stared at me until I lied down. Then he jumped up with me, I almost said no, until he rested his head by my stomach. Like he wanted to be close to the baby in case there was anything wrong. I let him sleep with me after that. Whether I was napping or going for the night, Bronx wouldn’t be far.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Phasma stepped out first and led us down the hall to the right. I read each plaque we passed. Different names or room functions until we made it to _Benjamin O. Solo’s Office_. “Here we are.” She unlocked the door and let us in so I could tale Bronx off his leash. On the walls held some framed photographs and news clippings. Some of Ben and the faculty members with students. To the right, there was a modern birch desk. Behind it was some drawers that reached the length of the inner wall under some matching cupboards. On the opposite end of the room were large windows with an L-shaped gray sectional sofa and glass table. To the left of it was a ficus and to the right, I could see a bowl of dog food right next to some water and a plush pet bed with some chew toys. He’d mentioned that he would bring Bronx to work with him sometimes. Glad to see he made sure he had everything he could need.

“Alright then, Bronx.” I said as I unhooked him from the lead. “Be a good boy at the…” Phasma flinched and I caught myself before I said the “v” word. “...place and I’ll see you later.” Gave him one more chin scratch before letting Phasma lead me out. When she locked the door behind me, I let out a breath of relief and whispered. “That was a close one!”

Phasma fanned herself, “You definitely dodged a bullet there.”

“Right, well I think I better head home before I make any more slips,” I said with a laugh. “Thank you for letting me in.”

The older woman smiled, “It was my pleasure. Let me escort you back.”

“I’d appreciate that,” I told her and I followed her down the hall and back to the elevator. “So, you’re the fencing instructor, right?”

“That’s me.” She raised a brow at me, “Interested in taking a class? I’d be happy to teach you.”

I shrugged, “Maybe. If I do it, it won’t be for a while. Until the baby is old enough at least.”

She smiled, “I understand. Just let me know, and I can enroll you in one of the beginner classes. I could even get you a discount.”

“Oh please,” I started to blush, “There’s no need for that.”

She waved her hand as the elevator stopped, “Nonsense, any friend of Ben’s is a friend of mine. I saw that bruise you left him, and I have to say, I was very impressed. I don’t condone violence, don’t get me wrong, but I admire any woman who is ready to defend herself if necessary.”

“He scared the wits out of me.” I shuddered. “I don’t like people sneaking up on me.”

“Noted.” She confirmed. We came across the front desk where Kaydel was still sitting. Phasma handed her the keys. “He’s in there, ready to go. You can let Ben know.”

Kaydel accepted the keys and smiled, “Thanks, Phasma.”

She winked and started off in the direction she was headed to earlier, “Happy to do it. Nice meeting you, Rey.”

I waved at her, “You too.” Then I turned to Kaydel and smiled, “Thank you for your help. Have a good evening.”

She nodded, “You too.”

I left and made my way back to my car. Thinking about Phasma’s offer the whole way. I couldn’t figure out why I would ever need fencing in the future, but just thought of learning a skill sounded fun. Fencing was majestic and unique in its own way. What was the harm in learning?

It certainly gave me something to think about for the rest of the day.

* * *

“We’re home!” I heard Ben call out from the front door.

I was lying on the couch with a book laying open on my chest and the television going off in the background. I must’ve dozed off at some point. I rubbed my eyes to see him walk into the living room with Bronx speeding past him. I smiled as the dog jumped on the couch with me to rest his head on my rounded stomach and let out a snort.

“Hey, sleepyhead.” Ben greeted as I rubbed my eyes. 

“Hiya,” I replied with a loud yawn. Bronx groaned and scooted closer to me on the couch. “I see somebody’s in the dog house and it’s not the pooch.”

“I’ll say,” He muttered, taking off his coat. “As soon as I got close to the parking lot, he started whining.” Bronx snorted again as if he knew we were talking about him. “I saw Rose on my way out. She told me to remind you to stay off your feet when you’re home.” 

“Well, I think we’ve got that covered.” I pointed out while stroking the pit mix's head. “Can we eat now?”

He held up his phone and smiled, “I was just checking the menu. I’m guessing a loaded veggie with stuffed crust and extra jalapenos?”

“Don’t forget the extra cheese!” I reminded him sternly. “I want there to be so much cheese falling from the sides that I can knit the strands into a sweater.”

He pressed his mouth into a thin line before replying. “Hey, I’m all for a lot of cheese but...uh, are you sure all that plus the appetizers and dessert is a good idea?”

My eyes narrowed, immediately on the defensive. “Did I ask if it was? I want _lots_ of cheese. Deny me this, and I’ll empty the bag of shredded mozzarella that is in the fridge. I will get my cheese!”

He gulped loudly, “Yes, ma’am! Lots of cheese is a must.”

Almost instantly I pulled back, ashamed of my little outburst. “I’m sorry that was a little harsh. I just...really want lots of cheese.” I suppose it was a good thing that I was hidden in the office at work because my hormones now have me going on angry streaks.

He waved his hand unbothered and started typing on his phone. “It’s fine, I’ve just been reading too many pregnancy health articles.”

“I wish you could’ve seen the look on your face when you saw me eating ice cream with a chili pepper.”

“Yeah, so do I.” He mumbled, “I thought I was having a dream.”

“I wanted something sweet and spicy,” I said before sticking my tongue out at him. “Don’t hate it before you try it.”

“Yeah, yeah. Oh, here,” he pulled out a plastic container and took off the lid before holding it towards me, “One of the instructor's neighbors, Maz, made brownies for everyone, so I thought I’d snag a couple for us as well. Would you like one?”

My mouth had already begun watering. “Oh, yes please!” I marveled at the large pieces of chocolaty deliciousness. I nudged Bronx gently to get him off so I could sit up and take one. “These look great.”

He smiled and took out the other one for himself. “They’re Maz’s own personal recipe from scratch. Every once in a while, she’ll make a batch for Poe to bring to the gym for us to indulge. She loves making them for his wife and kids especially.”

I had already taken a large bite of my brownie and was basking in the moistness of its texture. It tasted divine. One could never have enough chocolate. There was a strange aftertaste but easily ignored. I couldn’t remember the last I had a fresh-baked brownie so that was probably what it was. All the ones I’d ever had before came in a box that had already been baked and stuffed into a freezer before being put out on the shelves. I spoke behind my hand as I chewed, “Not that I’m complaining, but isn’t it some sort of taboo to bring baked goods to a gym?”

He took a but of his own and chewed a bit before replying, “Not if it’s just for the faculty.” His phone started buzzing in his other hand and he looked to check who was calling. “Speak of the Devil.” He looked to me briefly, “Let me take this and then I’ll order the food right after.”

“And not a second later,” I told him with pieces of brownie still in my mouth.

He winked and exited the room before answering his phone.

I took another bite when I heard a loud “ _What?_ ” and jumped up in surprise. He sounded almost thunderstruck. Even Bronx had turned to look where the noise had come from. We gave each other a look of uncertainty before going back to what we were doing.

“Umm, Rey?” Ben called out after a minute.

“Yes?” I answered hesitantly. He came back into the room, his hand rubbing the back of his neck and his expression sheepish. I was afraid to ask. “Something wrong?” 

“Erhm, yes and no.” His eyes landed on the empty container. “You know the brownies?” I swallowed the piece I’d been chewing and nodded. “Well, Poe just called me and told me that he was given the wrong batch.”

“The ‘wrong batch’?” I asked, eyeing the container warily. My stomach began to twist in knots and I looked back up at him, “Which batch were they?”

“Pot brownies.” He picked it up to sniff the interior and grimaced. “Yep, I can smell it. Apparently, she had two batches. One for Poe and one for his grandmother. They’re friends so she made some for her special because she has arthritis.”

Dread caused my skin to prickle. “When you say pot, are you talking about...hash?” He nodded an affirmative and I immediately began to panic as the realization hit me. “Oh God, I just ate the whole thing!”

“Well, I ate one too.” He offered lamely, then flinched at the look I gave him. “Right, not helping. Got it.”

I got up from the couch and began to pace. One hand pulled at my hair as I kept walking back and forth while the other cradled my bump. “What will this do to the baby? Could it harm her? Would I miscarry? It was such a big piece!”

He ran his hand down his face, “You didn’t smoke it, you only ingested it. And given that neither of us could taste it, I think it’s safe to say that she didn’t put too much in them.” He picked up the Tupperware and walked it to the sink. “Go ahead and call your ob-gyn to get her input. It’s better to be honest. Thank God tomorrow’s Sunday.”

“Damn it,” I muttered. “I work at the garage tomorrow. I won’t still be under the influence tomorrow, will I?”

“I wouldn’t go into work if I were you.” He said as he proceeded to scrub the dish. “You might be a little droopy.”

I rolled my eyes. “I may be young but I’m old enough to not be playing hooky.”

He laughed. “You won’t be playing hooky. You’ll be taking a safety precaution by not messing up any paperwork. Trust me, you’ll likely be very drowsy. You could stay in bed all day and you’ll probably sleep it off.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Sure enough, the doctor reassured me that the baby was going to be fine. Maybe a little active throughout the night, but fine. That and to drink lots of water to help it pass through more quickly. I was only in my twenty-fifth week, so it would be out of both our systems long before I went into labor. That and there was no cause to call CPS or the police. She just told me to rest and stay home from work the next day. No argument there.

When I called Han after, he was just as understanding. Understatement. He flew into a fit of laughter when I explained what had happened. Then he told me he was more than fine with holding down the fort and would see me the day after tomorrow. when I hung up the phone with Han, I went back to join Ben who was waiting patiently on the couch with Bronx’s head in his lap. His head lifted and looked at me expectantly, “Well?”

I sat next to him with a sigh of relief. “She said that the baby will be just fine and that I should just call off from work tomorrow.”

“And my dad?”

My head fell back against the top of the couch, “He said not to worry and enjoy having the munchies.”

He stroked Bronx’s head and I spied the corner of his lips quirk, “Yeah, my dad would know _all_ about it.”

“He’s had cannabis before?” I asked, bemused.

He nodded, curtly. “Before he met my mom. The whole 70’s thing I guess.”

“So,” I looked down at my hands and wiggled my fingers. “Am I supposed to feel some sort of way? I can’t say that I feel anything yet.”

“Oh, you’ll feel it.” His other hand lifted to pinch the bridge of his nose. His eyes shut as if he were in pain. “Edibles take a little longer for the THC to kick in than smoking it. It could be anywhere between one to two hours before you feel anything. And when it hits you, it hits you. It’ll slowly creep in on you and by the time you realize what it is, it’s too late.”

That was oddly specific. My eyes narrowed at him, “You seem to know an awful lot about it.”

His expression became sheepish. “I may or may not have smoked a little weed back in high school before moving in with my uncle. It’s been a long time. Thank God tomorrow is Sunday and there are no classes. Luckily no one touched the brownies until it was time to leave. I’ve already called everyone and only two others aside from Poe and us have eaten them. The others threw theirs away as soon as I called them.” He looked down at my stomach. “How’s she doing?”

I looked down and stroked my bump thoughtfully, “She’s fine. Moving every once in a while.”

“May I?” He asked, reaching his hand out towards me. Waiting for permission. When I nodded, he placed his hand upon my belly. He bent down to press his ear against my shirt. Listening. “How’re we doing, little one?” I waited with him to feel something. She had a habit of making little noise and movement as possible if anyone was actively listening. But sometimes, “Come on, Princess, I know you can hear me.” Sure enough, I felt a kick from behind my belly button. He grinned, proud and said, “There you are! So, you want me to call you ‘Princess’, is that it?” There was another kick and we both laughed. “Of course, your highness.”

“How come she does it when you ask, but when I ask, she ignores me?” I asked, not even the least bit annoyed.

“I don’t know.” He said, pulling away. “I could just be a baby whisperer.”

I snorted, “You would be.” Then I took a quick look at the time. “So what now?” I asked lamely. 

“Now,” He started before dialing on his phone with one hand and picking up the food menu with the other, “I’m going to call the pizza place and ask them to add some extra sides to our order.”

“I thought you said we shouldn’t eat too much,” I asked with a disapproving look.

He cast me a sideways glance, “You’ll thank me later. Because by the time it gets here, those brownies are gonna kick in and we’ll need it.”

* * *

“So tell me again,” I started, swallowing a mouthful of pizza, pointing at the television, “Where did those things come from?”

Ben had convinced me to watch a creature feature called _Tremors_ with Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward as the main protagonists. Right now I was watching the two actors bicker while the female character was working on something else behind them.

The brownies kicked in about fifteen minutes ago and it did sneak up on me like he said it would. I had gotten back to reading my book when I noticed that, for some reason, none of the words made sense. I couldn’t focus and it was as if I was hyper-aware that I wasn’t able to. It was like I was in a dream but I wasn’t. I felt strange. Tingly. Suddenly, I knew what the “Is this real life?” boy went through. I’d actually asked that question out loud without realizing it and Ben was kind enough to assure me that it was. That was when he popped the movie in.

He picked up another slice of his own pizza as he answered, “Apparently they’ve always been around. Like the girl said, they predated the fossil record. The fourth film is a prequel and it explains how they became active again after millions of years. Something to do with a hot spring in a mine waking up petrified eggs.”

I shivered before popping a jalapeno popper in my mouth. “I will say that it's definitely an interesting plot, in its own way. Lame town finally gets some excitement with a man-eating 30-foot-long worm.”

“Thanksgiving won’t be so boring anymore, will it?” He quipped as he continued to eat. “How’re you feeling?”

I shrugged, “I feel like ‘buzzy’ is an appropriate term. You?”

“A little the same,” he answered. I could see it though. The whites of his eyes were tinged pink and the bags under his eyes were more pronounced. I had no doubt that I must’ve looked similar so I’ve been avoiding all mirrors.

We sat next to each other on the couch as the food laid spread out on the coffee table. Two large pizzas, jalapeno poppers, spicy chicken wings, cheese bread, mozzarella sticks, tater tots, and some cannolis. Ben really did go all out for this. Because between the two of us being pissed and my being pregnant, the food diminished quickly. However, I knew that there was going to be leftovers tomorrow. In between bites of food, I made sure I kept drinking sufficient amounts of water. Unfortunately, that and the baby’s slight movements had made him pause the film a few times so I could get up and relieve my bladder

At some point, after I’d finally had my fill of pizza and other treats, I became a little drowsy and I let my head rest on his shoulder as the movie kept playing. It actually wasn’t that bad, not to mention funny during some scenes. But it wasn’t just the movie I had been paying attention to. Every once in a while, I would catch myself looking at him. Memorizing each detail on his striking face. 

Did he always have such a nice profile? I knew I was guilty of admiring his looks from time to time, especially the few times I’ve accidentally seen his bare chest. I wasn’t peaking or anything, but it was getting warm out, and he would sometimes go for his jog without a shirt. I didn’t see him as attractive when I was younger, but I was a woman now. Whether it’s my own biology working against me or if it was something more had me stumped either way. I knew I cared for him deeply. He was my best friend. Best friends could be attracted to each other, right?

As if he could feel my gaze on him, he looked away from the screen to look directly into my eyes. I flinched, ashamed for being caught ogling him. I was expecting him to reprimand me but he didn’t say anything. He just stared. Through the haze I was feeling, I could still see him. His pupils have grown in size to the point where I could barely see any trace of his honey-brown irises. Amidst all of that, I realized that we had both leaned in closer toward one another. To the point where I could actually feel his breath on my face.

I didn’t know who moved first. One moment we were still staring at each other with literally just one breath apart and the next...our lips met and my world exploded. My eyes closed and I could see stars shining behind my lids. Ben’s full lips felt soft and smooth like velvet as they moved against mine. His hand crept up to cradle the back of my neck and pull me deeper into the kiss. I, in turn, reached up to finally run my hands through his glorious mane.

He moaned against my mouth as I deftly combed my fingers through his black locks. Keeping one hand around my neck, the other that had been resting on the back of the couch came around me to pull me closer to him until he had me straddling his lap. He released my back and that same hand slowly went up my side to stroke my belly. Keeping me near as it slid down and the fingertips crept beneath my shirt ever so gently. His fingers didn’t venture far aside from barely brushing the newly exposed flesh.

At the feel of his skin against mine, I let out a small gasp. Giving him the opening to slip his tongue into my mouth. My own tongue began to move of its own volition. Sliding along his as we explored each others’ mouths. He hummed into our kiss before pulling away to trail his lips from my chin, along my jaw and down my neck. His large nose rubbing against my hair as he whispered my name with yearning, “Rey.” Then he rolled his groin upwards under me so I could feel the unmistakable hardened length of his arousal.

Heat began to gather in my core and I grinded it against him. Making him growl and both hands landed on my bum to mold me against him, as much as my bump would allow. _I could kiss him for hours on end._ I thought to myself as he reclaimed my lips. I never knew that kissing could be like this. It wasn’t like I had much experience. There had only ever been Armi and it was never this good.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers up to tug gently on his hair. Letting myself get lost in the moment.

Everything came to a screeching halt when there was a hard _thump_ from within me. We pulled away from each other and we both landed our eyes on my bump. I took one of my hands out of his hair to stroke the spot where the baby kicked. It was gone in an instant. Our attention immediately became captured by the small life growing inside me. Ben helped me move my leg so instead of straddling him, I was laid across his lap. I immediately nestled into his warmth and let him comb his fingers through my hair.

Sleep came to me slowly. The movie still played in the background as my eyes became heavy. Finally, I let myself slip away.

* * *

My head felt groggy when I woke up many hours later. Despite how comfortable I’d been sleeping. Even with a heavy weight laying on my legs. When did I move to the arm of the couch? I opened my eyes and saw Bronx laying sideways with his head resting on my bump like a pillow.

I looked around. Open and closed boxes from last night’s food fest still sat on the table. The television was on but it was only showing the main menu of the disc.

“Good morning.” A sleepy voice said, making me jump. I was sitting in Ben’s lap! I remembered...I think...it’s fuzzy. Oh no! 

Was it a good morning? “Hi,” I improvised as I attempted to get up, but the added weight on my legs made it tough and I could feel my bladder screaming. I gestured towards the dog still unconscious.“Umm, a little help? I have to pee.”

He sobered up instantly, and gently patted Bronx, jostling him. “C’mon, boy, up! Up!” The dog woke up and obeyed his master’s command to remove himself from my lap. This followed with a large obnoxious yawn.

I got up from Ben’s lap before making a hasty retreat to the public restroom. It was closer than mine and I didn’t trust myself to hold it long enough. After I’d relieved myself and washed my hands, I made my way back into the living room.

I saw that Ben was doing push-ups on the floor by the entrance to the kitchen and my heartbeat picked up in pace. Did last night really happen? Should I mention it? I don’t want things to be awkward between us. I could blame it on the hash...mostly. I mean, I’ve never been bold before. Did I even do that?

I couldn’t take it. I had to know for sure. “Hey, Ben?” I asked, tentatively as I sat back down on the couch. He stopped exercising and stood upright on his feet, giving me his full attention. “Did we...erm…”

He blinked, confused, “Did we what?”

“Uh,” _Uh oh._ He didn’t remember. Or...perhaps it could’ve been a dream? How could I approach this carefully without giving anything away if it were just a dream? “Did _I_ crawl into your lap last night and fall asleep?” _Keep trying!_ “Because, if I did I do apologize.” _Nice one._

His expression lightened up a little and rubbed the back of his neck, “Oh that. Well, sort of. You know how I was at the far end of the couch?” At my nod, he kept going. “Well, Bronx was at the other end and he kept scooching while you both slept until you had no more room to move. I think you were only half asleep though because you maneuvered yourself backward until you made it to my side.”

So _that_ was why I was curled up in his lap like a child. My chicks started to heat up, “I am so sorry. I didn’t know I was so clingy in my sleep.”

“Pfft, it’s fine.” He said nonchalantly. “I didn’t have the heart to wake you and it wasn’t uncomfortable. That and the chances of me getting up from the couch were slim anyway. So, no harm done.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief, “Well, aside from the awkward cuddling, it was a great pizza night.”

“Probably the last one for a while, so why not go out with a bang.” He offered with a smirk.

“Without magic brownies,” I warned.

He flinched, “Yeah, I’m gonna have to ban bringing in baked goods to the gym unless it’s for events. I know Maz made an honest mistake, but I can’t take the risk if it might compromise my teachers’ lessons. We have to keep an example for the people that come to us for motivation and inspiration. That means free of any substances that may impact our judgment or performances.”

“I’ll admit one thing,” I said slowly. “That was the first night I’ve slept all the way through in the last month.” I stood up and stretched my arms. “But once was enough for me.”

He bobbed his head and checked the time. Then he grimaced, “Sorry, I gotta take Bronx out for his walk. I’m not going for the full mile today, so I’ll be back in half an hour.”

I waved him off and started picking the boxes off the table. “Go ahead, I’m fine. My head is mostly clear now. I’m just going to put the food away, take a shower, and read in bed.”

He smiled and saluted me before leaving the room, Bronx trotting behind him. I heard him grab his keys and get his shoes on before the door opens and shuts. Leaving me alone with my thoughts.

So it _was_ just a dream. I didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. Subconsciously, I brought my fingers up to my mouth and brushed my bottom lip. Even if it was only a dream, it felt real to me. The scary part was that I wanted it to be real when I knew I shouldn’t. It has become deeper than just hormonal urges. I had romantic feelings for my childhood friend.


	8. Surprise Baby Shower!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is thrown a surprise baby shower by Rose and the girls. Making it the first part that has ever been revolved around her. Overwhelmed with joy, for the first time in her life, she discovers that she’ll always have friends to support her when she needs it.

__

_One Month Later (32 weeks)_

After the forbidden fudge incident, I tried hard to keep from thinking about the dream that I’d had about Ben. Very hard. I disregarded it as just a wet dream put on by my hormones but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted it to be real.

I’d already admitted to myself that I was attracted to him physically, but the more time I spent with him, I discovered it also ran deeper than that. Being his flatmate has actually been a lot of fun and we enjoyed each other’s company. Sure, there was the occasional bicker between us, but nothing too drastic. One we’d had the other day was more about him admitting he was a little jealous that I had managed to make friends with most of the instructors at his gym and he was convinced that they liked me more than him. I fired back that it was likely because he was their boss I wasn’t.

It first started with Kaydel and Phasma coming to the garage when Rose and I were working. They’d invited us to come along to the cinema and we had a grand time together. Then on another day, Rose’s husband Finn stopped by the apartment with their son to borrow a camera from Ben. He was very well mannered and we had a nice chat. Not to mention that their boy was a little cutie. He even suggested that maybe he and my daughter could be friends when she was old enough.

On another day, Poe Dameron the karate teacher came to have new tires installed. He apologized profusely for the brownie mix up and his wife Zorii made a lasagna as a peace offering. Very sweet woman and I could tell just by the way they conversed with one another that she was the one that wore the trousers in their relationship. But, given how smitten Poe appeared, I didn’t think he minded one bit. They had a ten-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. Yasmine and Raul. Small replicas of their parents and loved looking around the garage like it was a playground. I had a feeling that they might be back in a few years to look for summer jobs.

Today was my last day at work before going on a sixteen-week paid maternity leave. At first, I’d told Han that it wasn’t necessary and that I could come back sooner but he wouldn’t have any of it. He said that it was important for me to have as much time as necessary to recover after giving birth. Also mentioning that bonding time with a newborn baby was detrimental to their development and that the average leave these days was a joke. He mentioned to me that when his wife had Ben, it was mandated for her to be on leave for eighteen weeks, unpaid. Leaving him to be the sole earner for the household until she could go back to work. He didn’t want that for me or any other woman that would work for him and assured me that he could afford it and taking care of his employees meant a lot to him. I almost broke down right then.

“It’s gonna be strange around here with you, kid.” He told me as I waddled into his office to hand him some paperwork. “

I rolled my eyes, “You were the one who insisted I take the time off.”

“I know,” he agreed, “But you’ve been here since before I opened and you’ve done such a good job. Both on the cars and the paperwork.”

“I could just take eight weeks.” I offered.

He narrowed his eyes and his mirth tightened, “No, you’re taking the sixteen _and_ it’s gonna be paid.”

I smiled and stroked my belly thoughtfully. “I really do appreciate this, Han. I’ll rest easy knowing that I don’t have to worry about whether or not the baby is going to eat.”

“Oh, now,” He protested gently, “you know Ben would never let that happen.”

“I know,” I assured him as I continued to stroke circular motions on my belly. “It’s just an expression.”

“Rey!” We heard Rose call out from out of the office. “I need some help back here, you mind giving me a hand?”

“See?” I turned to Han with a knowing look, “Rose still thinks I can work.”

He waved his hand and turned back around in his chair, “Yeah yeah, whatever you say. Go on, kid.”

I laughed and followed to where Rose was calling me. At least I thought I was but I couldn’t see her anywhere in the garage. “Where are you?”

“Back here!” She shouted. “In the storage room!”

“What are you doing in there?” I muttered to myself as I made my way over to the dark room. Great, the lights were off. “Did you need help screwing in a new bulb, short stuff?” I joked as I flipped the light switch only to jump back at the display before me surrounded by familiar faces.

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest when I was met with several shouts of “Surprise!” as I saw Rose with Freddy on her hip, Phasma, Kaydel and Zorii with Yasmin and Raul trailing next to her as they jumped out from behind some boxes and furniture.

I blinked, stunned, “What’s all this?”

Rose came forward and pulled me into a hug, “It’s your baby shower, silly! We’ve been planning this for weeks!”

“All of you?” I asked dumbly, returning the hug. When she pulled away, I could see the proud smiles on all their faces as I looked around at the array of decorations and foods. On the far wall were some lettered banners that spelled out ‘baby girl’ above a table filled with an assortment of food and gifts. “You did all this for me?”

“Of course we did!” Phasma proclaimed taking a seat by the table. “Every soon-to-be mum should have a baby shower. We’ve got presents, games, punch, and lots of food. And before you freak out about the cost, we were happy to do it.”

Kaydel came over and patted me on the shoulder, “You never talked about having one yourself, so we decided to put it together and surprise you.”

“Mission accomplished.” I breathed.

“I got the impression that you weren’t into anything flashy, so I called Han and asked him if we could have it here,” Zorii explained as she handed me a plastic cup with some punch. “We thought it would be great last hoorah before you have the baby.”

That got my attention. “Han’s okay with all of this?”

“Doesn’t bother me.” The man in question said from behind us. I turned to see him with his arms crossed as he looked around the room. His expression pensive, “So much pink. Rose, promise me that none of this frou-frou stuff will make it anywhere near the tools or the cars.”

Rose moved her free hand in a shooing motion. “Oh, hush now, it’s only for a few hours!”

He shuddered, “And I thought Leia’s baby shower was overboard.”

“This is so not ‘overboard’! Trust me, you haven’t seen me go overboard yet.” Rose stated insistently as she handed him a small cupcake. “Now shoo!”

That made him chuckle and back away, cupcake in hand. “Alright then. You all behave yourselves now. Oh, before I go, this is for you, Rey.” He bent over by the door and lifted up a small gift bag for me to see. “Had to give you a little something too.”

My lower lip trembled with appreciation as I accepted it. “Han, you didn’t have to.”

He cleared his throat and wiped at his eye, “It was nothing. Go on, open it.”

I looked down into the bag and pulled the pieces of tissue paper out of the way. Moving it gently until my hand finds something soft. I pulled out two different things. One was a cute light brown spotted stuffed giraffe. It's a little body soft in my hands. Then I looked at the other item to see three small stuffed animals hanging from a spiral. A butterfly, an owl and a beetle that made small rattling noises.

“I saw that little guy in a window in town and thought it would be great to give the baby when she’s born. Ben told me you hadn’t got any stuffed animals yet so I thought this would be a good start.” He booped the stuffed giraffe’s nose before moving on to the other item. “This is supposed to hang in a crib or a stroller.” He explained softly. “Great for a baby’s working mind. It’s mostly sound paper but the bug there plays a little tune when you press it.”

Curious, I took the little beetle in my hand and squeezed it gently. Sure enough, a cute sounding lullaby came out from it. “Han,” I said looking up with what I hope was gratitude. “This will be perfect. Thank you.”

He smiled proudly and pulled me into a gentle hug, mindful of the cupcake. “No problem, kid. I’m glad you like it.” Then, over my shoulder, he said, “Ha, she opened mine first! How do you like them apples?”

“That’s cheating!” I pulled away in time for Rose to come stomping over with Freddie still in her arms and point a finger at Han. “Now get! I won’t tell you again!”

“Have fun, everyone!” He said before making a hasty retreat.

“C’mon, Rey,” Kaydel said as she led me towards one of the tables. “Let’s take a look at all the loot you’ve got. We checked with Ben and only got the things that were still on your nursery checklist. Maybe a couple extras.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “I thought I lost that list.”

Her smile turned slightly sheepish, “He said he found it on the kitchen counter.”

“Oh, that little—” I started before she cut me off.

“Who wants cake?!”

* * *

Was it bad that I was actually enjoying being showered with gifts for the baby? For once, I didn’t think so. I had already gotten a crib, bedside bassinet, pram, and changing table, which Ben had offered to pay for but I insisted we split the costs rather than he cover the whole thing. But this was different. I’ve never had so many people care about me enough to the point where they would throw me a party. I’d seen it on the telly many times. Friends and family gathering together to plan surprise parties for the unexpected guest of honor. I wouldn’t have guessed that I would be so lucky. Each person in this room came together to put this all in place for me and damned if I wasn’t going to let myself enjoy it. 

First, we played some games. Pin the bib on the baby was fun. It was like Pin the Tail on the Donkey. We each took turns blindfolded and would attempt to attach an adhesive bib to a baby picture. No one really won but Kaydel was the closest. A race to see who could put a diaper on a toy baby the quickest, Zorri won that one thanking it on her practice with two kids. Bobbing for pacifiers, a lot harder than it looked because even though pacifiers are smaller than apples, they were also lighter so they moved in the water more swiftly. Then there was the last game; diaper derby. Rose and Phasma were the most competitive at that one. It was funny to watch those two go at it with the toilet roll while Kaydel tried to keep the peace. We all looked ridiculous with our make-shift diapers when it was over. More like very cheap hula skirts.

Then later, when all the games had been played, Phasma impressed us all by painting a pretty mural onto my bump. Different highlights of greens and yellows with vines and red flowers going in a circle around my belly button.

I giggled as she stroked the wet brush along my skin up my side and she gave me an amused smirk. “Stop moving so much!” She chastised gently, but seeing her fight off a smirk told me she wasn’t actually annoyed.

“I can’t help it!” I said with another giggle. “It tickles!”

“Well, I’m almost finished. Think you can keep still for a few more minutes?” She asked with her brow arched upward as if saying, _I dare you to defy me._ I pressed my lips tightly shut and nodded with what I hoped was a serious look. It turned out beautifully in the end.

When she finished, she placed a fan down in front of me so the paint would dry faster. Meanwhile, we started eating. Well, everyone _else_ started eating. I was already nibbling on a cupcake that had been sitting by the edge at the table. Or was it my second? Phasma cooked a nice meaty lasagna with plenty of cheese. It didn’t disappoint. Kaydel made a veggie platter with a homemade dip, grape tomatoes, celery sticks, baby carrots, peppers, and cauliflower. All of the pastries were Rose’s doing. Turned out that the small mechanic loves to bake. Volunteered at many community events by selling homemade desserts for charity and organizing bake sales.

The woman could start her own bakery.

Zorii, on the other hand, was responsible for the variety of crisps and layered dip. Stuff was so good that it should be illegal. She made the fruit punch, provided a case of bottled water and different kinds of canned fruit juice.

The array of all of the food they brought was apparently just what the doctor ordered. We were spread out and seated as we all ate comfortably

One by one, I opened each present that was on the table. I had been given an assortment of different items. As Kaydel said, some of it had been on my list and others weren’t. One of them was the breast pump. Not that I knew what it was at first. I looked at the two yellow suction cups attached to a motor unit with trepidation.

“That thing is a lifesaver, trust me!” Zorii insisted. “I have one like it and worked great both times.”

Rose gave a nod of affirmation, “Ditto! Your girls will thank you! Especially when the little starts weaning.” 

Curious, I couldn’t help but lift the identical cups up to my ears and make a goofy face. Immediately the room erupted into a fit of laughter. Even the kids joined in on our giggles. Yasmin and Raul brought over a large basket filled with baby necessities they said was a gift from Poe: towels, a bib, booties, brushes, combs, and a little teddy bear.

Zorii also got me a 6-in-1 bottle warmer and sterilizer. It had different modes for fast warming, normal warming, food heating, fast defrosting, constant defrosting, and sterilization. Perfect for after the baby was weaned and moved onto bottle feeding. Turned out it was built to work with many types of bottles in different sizes, even toddler cups too. Which was great, because that meant I wouldn’t have to trade it in later.

Kaydel got me a car seat that was good for newborns up to toddlers. It was the perfect fit for my jeep, which was exactly what she had intended. She also got a crib mobile that lit up and twirled with a remote control where I could pick and chose the colors as well as the speed. I could even pick which lullaby it played.

Phasma got me a baby bath that could fit in the sink with some toys to go along with it. I read the label and gave her a pointed look. “I swear if you start singing ‘Baby Shark’ I will lose my mind. Do you know how long I’ve been humming that song around the house? Even Ben got tired of hearing it.”

“What? It’s a cute song.” She said defensively. “My nephew loves it.”

“I like it too!” Raul stated proudly with a mouthful of cake. “It’s my favorite song!”

Zorii chuckled and wiped some of the crumbs off of his face. “Yes, baby, we know.” She looked up at me with an exasperated smile, “They sang it at the school play last year. He played the daddy shark.”

“That’s so cute!” Rose gushed, quietly while rocking side-to-side with Freddy in her arms. The little tyke had dozed off a little while ago after eating. She laid a kiss on his temple before gesturing with her chin towards another gift bag. “Open that one next, Rey. Finn and I got it for you.”

I smiled with appreciation and accepted it from Kaydel. Tearing off the wrapping paper until I could see the image printed on it. Recognizing what it was, with new giddiness, I ripped the flaps open so I could take it out. Inside was a well equipped nappy bag. Immediately I was in awe of its design, “Oh my God, Rose, I love this! Especially the color!” It was light-medium aquamarine with plenty of spacious compartments for all the supplies I would need for the upcoming months. I fought to suppress my smile from splitting my face in half as I looked to the patron, “This is lovely, Rose, thank you.”

She grinned, “I thought you’d like it. You mentioned that you were having a difficult time finding the right one. So when we were shopping for some new clothes for Freddy, because I swear this boy grows more every five minutes with his dad’s genes, we stuck around to browse for a bit. This one actually unfolds into a little bed for the baby. Great in case you need to change her diaper while you’re out of the house.”

“Well, that is definitely useful.” I started, stroking the material softly. “It’s perfect. I can’t thank you enough and would you mind passing that on to Finn as well?”

She winked, “You got it, missy. There’s one more from us and I think this is the last.” She stood up, Freddy still snoozing in her arms, and handed me the final box. She kissed him on his forehead and said, “This is a great way to keep a baby occupied and one place so you can use both hands for daily tasks while still able to watch her."

I pursed my lips thoughtfully and started unwrapping the final gift. First, I noticed the bright colors and then I saw that it in fact was a box with pieces for an activity chair. I understood what rose meant now. I could plop the baby in the seat and with all of the toys attached to it, the baby would still be amused while I’d work around the house. I could keep her in the same room with me and still be able to watch her.

“This would be great for when I come back to work,” I said with a new eagerness. “In case she got tired in the playpen.”

“See? Already planning your future together.” She stated with a wide smile.

I looked around at all of the opened gifts with a new sense of overwhelming appreciation. Each of these amazing women have bought these with me in mind. Even Han had pitched in a little. Giving the okay for them to have the party here and also provided a couple of presents for the baby. Then there was the party itself. They did all of this for me.

I didn’t even realize I had started crying until I felt someone wrap their arms around me. My face was hidden in my hands, stifling my sobs as whoever was hugging me rubbed my back soothingly.

“You’re alright, Luv.” She soothed. It was Phasma. “You’re alright. We’re all friends here.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, muffled.

“There’s no need to apologize.” She pulled away to look at my face when I finally lifted it from my hands. 

“It’s just,” I paused to grab a spare napkin she offered to blow my nose and wipe away my tears. After releasing a congested honk into it, I sniffed and met her blue eyes shyly. “This is all so new to me. I mean, I’ve been to parties before but I never had one for myself. I was little when my parents left, so I doubt they did anything special. Not even for my birthday. It wasn’t as if I expected the families I lived with to throw one for me. But I always felt left out when I would hear other kids talk about how much fun they would have. I stopped caring when I got into high school.”

All of the women had gotten up from their chairs to stand around me in a protective circle as I continued to talk about my past experiences. “I kind of gave up. As the years passed, I just viewed my birthday as any other day. If I had money, I’d get myself a slice of cake with a candle but that’s all.” I sniffed and kept going. “Before Ben, I never had any friends. Then, in just a few short weeks, I went from having no friends to having several. It’s the first time I’ve had my own support network.”

There was a pat on my shoulder and I looked to see that it was Kaydel. She dabbed at her eyes with a napkin as she spoke, “I was the nerd in my high school. Having too many smarts made me an easy target for bullying. Especially with boys. I had friends in middle school but they went to a different campus so I was by myself. It wasn’t until I went to law school where I became more comfortable in my own skin. I learned to be proud of my smarts instead of embarrassed by them. That’s how I met my fiance. He was actually impressed with how smart I was and respected me as a fellow colleague.”

“I was always teased for being tall,” Phasma admitted with a wink. “I towered over everyone in my class with the exception of a few boys after they hit puberty. I didn’t wear short skirts for years because they’d call me ‘giraffe legs’. I hated it. None of the girls were surprised when I got into sports. Claiming I actually belonged on the boy teams. But it was always fun to wipe the smugness off their faces whenever I would bring home the winning trophy for our school volleyball team. My teammates became my friends and they helped me see my height as an advantage instead of a burden.”

Rose came over after placing Freddy down on a makeshift bed from boxes and blankets. Her hand tucked into her pockets and she kicked her foot absently. “I was made fun of for being short. Classmates and even teachers would think I was in the wrong classroom because my height made me look younger. Once, when I was in elementary school, a hall monitor stopped me when I was using the water fountain and thought I got separated from the other kindergarteners.” Her lips turned upward mischievously. “When she offered to take me back, I played dumb and said, ‘Why would you do that? I’m in Ms. Sherbrook’s class in the third grade and I have a hall pass.’ She went tomato red! So, I just left her standing there with a dumb look on her face and went back to class.”

“My family moved around a lot,” Zorii spoke suddenly. All of our eyes landed on her in time to see her wipe at her own nose with a napkin. “I’m what you’d call ‘military royalty’. My dad’s a colonel who served in Korea, Vietnam, Cuba and several other countries. My brothers joined the navy as soon as they were out of high school and my mom lived as a military wife. My dad had never been inactive in the military while we were growing up so we were always going somewhere new every few years. I would make friends, sure, but we hardly ever kept in touch after I moved. And it was always in the middle of the school year. I hated being the new girl, it drew a lot of attention. Each time, all the kids in class wanted to know me because I was new and that made me seem mysterious. That’s fine and all, but after a couple of weeks, you start to blend in with the background.”

She snorted, “I applied for Harvard my senior year in secret. My dad wanted me to enlist as soon as I graduated high school. He didn’t care where, just as long as it was in the armed forces. When he found my letter of acceptance in the mail, he was furious and forbade me to go. But, I was already eighteen and I told him that as grateful as I was for him and my brothers for serving our country, that’s not how I wanted to contribute to society. I wanted to study psychology so I could become a therapist for children. He told me that I had until the end of the week to enlist or get out of his house. So, the next day, I packed up all my stuff in my car and left. I did great in school and finally made some long-term friends. Some I’m still close with.” 

“But after always being around my family, I felt so lonely. For years, I didn’t speak to my parents. Even during the holidays. My brothers were the only that would talk to me and they actually supported my decisions. They’re the ones that even convinced our parents to come to my wedding years later. I remember seeing my mom and dad standing on the front row as my brothers walked me down the aisle. At the reception, he pulled me aside and told me he was proud of me. We even danced together for the father-daughter dance.” She took out her wallet and pulled out a few pictures to show me.

I piqued with interest and took the photographs to examine them closely. The first showed Zorii with a wide grin on her made-up face as she looked up at the man who was holding her with an equally large grin. I recognized him. Poe Dameron. This must be from their wedding day. She was dressed in a white lace v-neck and cap sleeve dress with a floral brooch wrapped around her middle. Her hair put in an updo with large twists and a single rose. Poe had his hair slicked back, unlike his normal shaggy style. He wore a charcoal tuxedo vest with the first two buttons undone. Both of them basking in their wedded bliss.

The next picture showed Zorri in what looked like a slow dance with another gentleman. This one was much older and was wearing a military uniform with ribbons and medals. This had to be her father. They were looking at each other as if they were long lost friends. In the back, I could see two men wearing naval uniforms standing at the DJ. Most likely her brothers.

The last one was a group shot with Zorri and Poe in the middle between two families. On Poe’s side was an older couple that I assumed were his parents. Followed by two women around his age, one man around the same holding a toddler in a small tuxedo. Most likely they’re close family of his. On her side, I confirmed that the three men from the previous photo were her father and brothers. Next to her father was a woman I didn’t recognize, but given her features, she had to be her mother. They all looked very happy.

I handed them back to her wordlessly and she continued, “The point is, Rey, is we all know what it’s like to feel lonely. So it’s nice when you’re actually able to connect with people on an emotional level. We don’t know your whole story, and we’ll listen to it when you’re ready, but you’ve already grown on us.”

“It’s going to take some getting used to,” I confessed. “But I think it won’t be too difficult. I’ll always be grateful to you all.”

“Oh, come here, you big sap!” Phasma pulled me into another hug and rocked me back and forth. “We love ya!”

I heard the other three ladies laugh before joining us in a group hug.

* * *

The party went on for a couple more hours after our sob little fest. Mostly just exchanging silly stories from one to the other. Apparently, we had all lousy first times. Rose’s was after she’d turned twenty-one and she’d brought a date home. He was so drunk that he passed out before he even finished.

Zorii’s first time happened the night of her junior prom. Her date’s parents were out of town, so she lied to her parents to say she was going home with a girl classmate and instead went to stay the night at his place. By all accounts, he wasn’t as good as he bragged.

Kaydel’s first time was with the only man she’d been with besides her fiance. They weren’t together long. Their first turned out to also be their last because he’d called her another woman’s name. She said she stopped him and left him high and dry before letting him finish.

Phasma’s was during a fencing tournament in her early twenties with her first real boyfriend. Evidently, a picture hanging on the wall above them fell down and hit him on the head because the headboard kept banging against it. Knocked him out cold.

My first time happened during the homecoming parade junior year. I could hear “Yankee Doodle Dandy” while Armi and I fumbled in the backseat of his mum’s car. He was a two-pump chump that time. No doubt it had been his first time too.

After we were done with storytelling, we started to clean up. Well,  _ they _ started cleaning as they refused to let me go anywhere near the broom. They helped me load everything into my car before sending me on my way so I could home and rest while they took care of the mess. I made sure to say goodbye and thanks to Han again and give him another hug before leaving. 

Kaydel followed me into the city with her car to help me unload the gifts and leftover food from the party. Insistent on helping me carry everything up to Ben’s flat. I was actually grateful for that because, without her, I would’ve had to take several trips up and down the elevator and my feet were not interested in doing all that walking. I couldn’t see them anymore but I could feel that they were swollen.

When we came to the building’s car park, I got a little idea. For once, I thought I’d pull one of Ben’s moves and pay for her parking spot. She wasn’t going to be here for longer than twenty minutes tops so even I could afford that. Not to mention it was the least I could do for her part in putting the party together. The look of outrage on her face in my rearview mirror was almost worth the scolding she gave me after. Now I knew that satisfaction he always felt when he’d do something charitable for me and there was no way for me to protest it.

She grumbled the whole time from the car park, into the lobby, inside the elevator, up to his floor, and until we entered the kitchen. But seeing her with all those boxes and bags showed how strong she actually was. While I carried three boxes in my arms and the nappy bag on my back, she carried two bags on each arm while carrying the car seat and gift basket in her hands. I only needed to make one trip. Luckily all of the food had been placed in her car so she only needed to go back down one more time before giving a hug goodbye and leaving.

Bronx greeted us as we had walked in with some happy yips and a wagging tail. His nose went on full throttle when Kaydel came up with the food. He went on full alert and I had to dance around him to get the food safely into the fridge without him getting a bite of it. Once I put it all away he gave me a snort of disapproval before following me into my room.

I was excited to get started with all the new baby loot I got. First, I stripped off my shirt, trainers and socks so I was only wearing my black maternity bra and joggers. My painted belly still unsmudged after being under my shirt for the last hour. I’d taken photos of it but they were all at awkward angles until I got a cute one of my reflections in the bathroom mirror. When I was done with my little photo shoot, I got to work on the first box.

Right now, I was sitting on the carpet by the crib with my legs crossed with him resting his head on my thigh while I assembled the pieces of the mobile to attach to it. When I finished, I fitted it to one of the square bars at the end above the baby pillow.

Next, I got to work on the baby bottle warmer. I took it out of the box and went to set it up in the kitchen. Bronx followed me most of the way until we heard a key jingle in the lock. Immediately he started barking with excitement as his master made his way through the door. When I heard it close, I called out, “Welcome home!” And found a place for the machine on the counter.

“Hey!” He greeted me from the hall. “Did you have a good time at the party?”

“Yes, I was wondering where my baby wish list disappeared to,” I said pointedly, gauging his response.

I didn’t have to wait long. “Rose wanted to know what you were still shopping for and I saw it sitting on the counter. I knew it was up to date because you’d crossed out the things you already bought.”

“You’re so bad,” I told him with an amused chuckle.

He joined me in the kitchen to say something but froze when his eyes landed on my stomach. “Woah, that’s amazing! Who did that?”

I smiled down at the artwork. “Phasma. Didn’t she do a wonderful job?”

“I’ll say.” Then he held up his hand and backed away, “Hang on, let me go grab something from my room. Don’t go anywhere!” Then he disappeared back down the hallway.

Bronx looked at me, just as confused as at his sudden eagerness. With a shrug, I leaned against the cabinet by the fridge. He padded over until he was directly in front of me and sat up on his hind legs and pawed at my belly. I smiled at his tenderness and I reached to take hold of his paw in my hand. We just stood there, having a little quiet moment of our own.

There was the sound of a click to my right and there I saw that Ben had returned, looking through the lens of a professional camera that was aimed at us. He pulled away to smile at us sheepishly, “Sorry, it was a good shot.”

I laughed and let go of Bronx's paw to face him completely. “What are you doing with that?”

He nodded his head towards the living room, “I was thinking about getting some pictures of the paintwork before you wash it off. If you haven’t already taken some.”

My lips pressed together with excitement. “You mean, like a maternity shoot?”

“If it’s okay with you.” He offered.

The idea thrilled me. “I’d love to.”

His smile widened and he held his hand out towards the other room, “After you.”

I waddled in and let him guide me to the window overlooking the Hudson. He placed me so my back was pressed against the glass as I leaned against it. Instructing me to interlock my fingers below my bump, cradling it. Then he kneeled down to pose my leg by bending it at the knee to rest the bottom of my foot against the wall. When he stood to his full height again, he tilted his head as he gazed down at my face. “May I try something?”

I didn’t see the harm, so I nodded and said, “Sure,”

He then let the camera hang from the strap around his neck as he reached behind my head with both hands. His hand found the band that kept my hair up in its messy bun and pulled it off, letting my dark tresses fall free around my face.

It took a lot of self-control to keep my cheeks from flaming. My hair must’ve looked like a rat’s nest. “Do you want me to brush it out first?”

He shook his head, “No, it’s perfect like this.” Then he combed his long fingers through the brown waves himself. “It looks natural.”

I fought not to roll my eyes because there was no way that was true. But I selfishly enjoyed the feel of his hands in my hair. He fluffed one side while gathering the strands on the other to place behind my ear.

When he was finished, he stood there for a moment, admiring his work. Then he backed up a few steps, making some space between us before speaking as he looked through the viewfinder, “Okay, just hold that position. Look down at your stomach smile, please?” I did as he instructed and heard a few clicks. “Looks good. Let me get another angle.” He moved to the side and snapped a few more. Then to the opposite side from a kneeling position.

“The sunset behind you looks amazing in this shot.” He complimented me when he stood closer to the window on my right. “Now, if you can, look over your right shoulder out past the river. If the sun is too much there you don’t have to. No smiling, just relax your face.”

Curious, I did as he asked and he started snapping away. “That’s perfect! Just a couple more,” he was right. The sun did burn a little but I held on. “Okay, I think I got them all.”

My eyes immediately blinked rapidly as I looked away from the mirror. “Ow. That’s bright.”

“Sorry,” He apologized as he looked down at the display screen. “I promise it looks great. Do you want to take a look?”

“I’ll wait until they’re printed,” I said with a shrug. “I want to be surprised.”

“And surprised you shall be.” He promised. Then he put it down and ran his fingers through his own hair nervously. “Speaking of surprises…”

My eyes narrowed into slits. “What have you done now, Ben?”

“Nothing bad.” He avoided my eyes and his jaw tightened. “I know you said you didn’t want me to pay any more for the baby than I already have, but I’m the only one who hasn’t gotten her a gift yet. So today, I took it upon myself to get the last thing that was on your list.”

My eyes bugged out and my eyebrows went up to my hairline. I racked my brain, trying to remember what else I had written down on the piece of paper weeks ago. It was mostly fundamentals but I couldn’t think of much else about what was on it. “What did you get?”

He left the room without saying anything. Presumably, to get whatever it was he purchased. I stayed by the window and waited patiently for him to come back, which didn’t take long. He must have picked it up on his way home because he couldn’t have gone back farther than the door before coming back into the living room.

With cautious steps, he held out a large gift bag and said, “I asked Rose if she could leave me to get this one. My own gift for the baby. I know we agreed that I would ask you first before buying anything, but this was on your list so it doesn’t count.”

“Leave it to you to find a loophole,” I mumbled teasingly and took the bag from him. I held both ribbons apart so I could see what was inside. Immediately, my mouth dropped in awe. “Oh, Ben.” It was a baby gym mat with similar colors as the activity chair. It was for the baby to lay on with hanging toys and buttons with a couple of rattles with it.

He blushed and smiled nervously, “I thought it would be great for the baby before she starts walking. Poe said that he Zorri had it for their kids and they seemed to like it when they were that age.”

“I think, just this once, I’ll accept one more surprise gift. “I took the entire box out of the bag and held it close to my chest. “I really do appreciate it. It’s perfect, Ben, thank you. This whole day has been amazing and you’ve just made it better.”

His whole body loosened with a breath of relief. Safe from the guillotine of my wrath. Then he broke out into a toothy grin. “I’m glad you like it, Rey. You think the baby will?”

I looked down at the picture on the box fondly, fighting my own smile. “I think she will.”

***A look at the goodies Rey got at her shower!***

****

****

[ ](https://www.nanaenterprises.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/infant-car-seat-maui.jpg)


	9. The Beginning or The End?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey suffers some complications that jeopardize the remainder of her pregnancy, forcing her to give birth to her baby early via c-section before it’s too late. Thinks get so bad that it is unclear whether or not she and or the baby will survive the ordeal. Rey is willing to do anything to ensure that her daughter lives, even at the cost of her own life if necessary.

__

_Courtroom (Present Day)_

The monitor that showed Alice before turned on again. This time revealing two of the photos that Ben had taken of me after the baby shower. I had to hand it to him, they turned out beautifully. I was smiling in the first one. Cradling my painted belly as I looked down at my then still growing baby while the camera caught it all with the sunset shined in the background.

The second one was when he had me look out the window. Even now, I could remember trying not to flinch at how bright it was. But it looked amazing. When I thought I was looking out with a pained expression, it actually appeared as if I were just staring off into the distance in serene thought. The sunlight made little green specs reflect from my eyes, almost as if they were glowing from within.

I remembered the awe and excitement I felt when Ben first brought them to me printed and enlarged. It was the only time I had actually thought myself to be beautiful up to that point. He was a very good photographer. 

“These are nice pictures of you, Ms. Niima.” Judge Lake complimented. “You look happy in them.”

I smiled and glanced briefly at Ben before answering, “It was all thanks to good direction.”

The screen went blank once more and she leaned on forearms as she regarded the four of us. Han, having been excused from the stand after giving his testimony, was seated in a witness chair instead of back with the audience and listening.

Her eyes then landed on his finance sitting in a chair by the plaintiff’s podium. “I’d like to hear what your witness has to say about the paternity in question. Please stand, ma’am.” The chestnut brown-haired woman rose from her seat and moved to stand by Armitage. “State your name for the court.”

“Bazine Netal,” she introduced her voice a smooth soprano.

“And you’re Mr. Hux’s fiance?” The Judge asked.

Ms. Netal nodded with a confident smile, “Yes, Your Honor.”

“How long have the two of you been seeing each other?”

She did nothing to hide her malicious smile, “Three years.”

I winced. It wasn’t hard to do the math. Alice wasn’t even two yet, so that meant Armitage had been with his not-so-new fiancee since before I got pregnant. Then he had the nerve to tell me that I was the one being unfaithful. That stung a lot more than it should’ve. I’d suspected that they were together for some time but not that long. Of course, I now had a better idea as to where my money had disappeared to.

Judge Lake noticed my discomfort and frowned, “Ms. Niima, you seem surprised by that statement.”

“I am a little, Your Honor,” I admitted. “I didn't know they’d been seeing each other that long.”

“That’s because it’s none of your business!” Ms. Netal barked at me. “Learn to take a hint!”

I ignored her jab and kept my back straight. Meanwhile, the judge narrowed her eyes at Armitage with suspicion. “Mr. Hux, were you seeing Ms. Netal and Ms. Niima at the same time?”

“Yes,” She answered for him. “He’d come over almost every day. After he got fired, he would tell her that he was at work when he actually was with me.” She sounded so proud. Like she’d won a big prize by entertaining a man that had been committed to someone else. Not caring who she may be hurting. “I gave him what he wanted and did it better.”

Nevermind, she did me a favor. She can keep him.

“Mr. Hux,” The judge started slowly, “You’ve been hellbent in your testimony that Ms. Niima had been unfaithful in the duration of your relationship and that you were the one committed to her and her alone. But given your fiance's statement, it seems that it was _you_ who was stepping out while you were still together.”

“I thought she was cheating so I thought it was only fair that I do it too.” Was his quick excuse and I tried not to smirk. He’d been caught. I could see it in his face as he turned paler than a sheet. I’d seen a similar look on him when his mum caught him in town driving her car without permission.

A knowing look passed the judge’s face. “I see. Are you living together?”

“Yes,” Armitage answered.

“Where?”

He cleared his throat, “We’re currently staying with my parents until we find a place. We’re saving our money right now.”

“Where did the two of you meet?” The judge asked.

This I had to hear. I looked over at the plaintiff’s podium and waited for either of them to answer. Ms. Netal was the one to speak, of course. “We met at a bar. I was there with some girlfriends and he was there with friends too. He bought me a drink, we exchanged numbers and had sex for the first time that same night. We started texting, sending each other photos, meeting often for dates. We had fun.”

The judge regarded her for a moment before asking her the next question. “Do you think your fiancé could be Alice’s biological father?”

“There is no possible way.” She said with confidence. “Your honor, I’ve never met her personally, but I already knew about her. She had a reputation for sleeping around with multiple men. Everyone knew about it. Mr. Hux was sleeping with her, but she was having sex with so many other men at the time, that I doubt she could remember them all.”

It was all I could not to run to the other side of the room and throttle the woman. She didn’t know a damned thing about me! What reputation was she talking about? I didn’t have any reputation, let alone one that said I was promiscuous. Well, I probably did now thanks to Armitage and this trollop. Thank goodness I didn’t live in the same area anymore.

“I’m going to need a little more than that, Ms. Netal.” The judge said carefully. “You saying that other people have said things is only hearsay. Do you have any kind of physical proof that supports what you’re saying?”

She nodded her head towards Armitage and said, “His mother feels the same way.” 

“And she’s here via Polycom, so we’ll take her statement. She was unable to come to court today due to not being able to take time off work.” The judge explained and turned towards the monitor. In the next instant, a pixelated video of Armitage’s mother appeared on the screen. “Good morning, Mrs. Hux, can you hear me alright?”

It took a second, due to the lag, Mrs. Hux nodded and said, “Yes, I can hear you, Your Honor.”

“Excellent.” The judge turned her chair so she faced the monitor more fully. “Now, Mrs. Hux, as you know, we are here to determine the paternity of Ms. Niima’s twenty-two-month-old daughter Alice Niima. I’ve heard from your son, his fiancé Ms. Netal, Ms. Niima, her fiancé Mr. Solo, and his father. Now, I would like to hear from you. Do you think there’s a possibility that your son could be Alice’s father?

Her answer was immediate, “Absolutely not.”

“Why do you think that?” The judge asked her gently.

Mrs. Hux huffed, “That girl has always been trouble. I never liked her. Even before they broke up, I couldn’t stand her.”

 _The feeling is mutual, you haggard harpy!_ I mentally screamed.

She kept going, “My son spoke to me about her often. How she supposedly ‘worked’ all the time.” She held up her hands and made quotations at the word before continuing. “If she worked so much, she should’ve been more than capable of covering their expenses while they were living together so he could find work. Instead, she demanded they split everything.”

“Well, that’s quite common with couples, Mrs. Hux.” The judge informed her. “And given what both your son and Ms. Niima testified to, that was the agreement between them until he admittedly took her half of the money and spent it on himself.

Her eyes narrowed and she glanced at Armitage briefly before picking up a piece of paper and looking back to his mother. “Did you know that your son was unemployed from November to the beginning of March?”

There was a beat of silence. “He told me he was going through some difficulty finding more work after he’d been laid off.”

“Did he inform you that he had taken Ms. Niima’s half of the rent and spent it on himself before leaving her with back rent?” 

“I’ve never heard of any of this.” She admitted before stating, “He told me that she was being unfaithful and he knew that the baby couldn’t be his. When they were facing eviction, I saw it as a sign that she was getting what she deserved for what she had done. She knew how good of a man that my son is, she wanted to pin her baby on him and trap him.”

The judge pursed her lips and asked, “So aside from what your son told you, do you have any other reason to believe that Alice may not be your granddaughter?”

The older woman shook her head, “She looks nothing like my son. I’ve compared pictures of her with my son when he was an infant, and they look nothing alike. Especially the eyes. Her eyes are brown.” The monitor cut from her to reveal two images side-by-side. One of Alice that I had submitted when she was eight months old, and another photo that had to be Armitage at the same age. I had to agree, there weren’t many physical similarities aside from maybe their noses. She looked more like me in that sense.

“Which neither I nor Ms. Niima have!” Armitage interrupted. We all looked at him as he pointed at the monitor, “Her eyes are hazel and she has brown hair. My family has very strong genes, Your Honor. Red hair and green eyes from my dad’s side. We are literally the living breathing stereotype of the Irish.”

“Your grandmother’s eyes were brown.” I pointed out.

He snorted, unperturbed. “Another thing, she’s a girl.”

Judge Lake blinked at that last comment, clearly confused as the rest of us. “Are you saying that girls don’t run in your family, Mr. Hux?”

“They don’t, Your Honor. If I may?” He gestured towards the board that was left of the defendant’s stand.

“You have an exhibit?” She asked and he nodded. “Go ahead and present it, Mr. Hux.”

I looked up at Ben with a raised brow and he shrugged. _This was going to be interesting._ I didn’t miss him glare daggers at my ex as he strolled up to the board. No doubt he could feel them at his back.

He first took down the blackboard and then presented a...written family tree? I wasn’t too sure. I recognized a few of the names. His parents and his brothers were familiar. But I wasn’t too sure about the rest of them.

“As you can see here,” he pointed to the name at the top, “Starting from my great-great-grandparents down to my generation, they all had boys. None of them had any girls. So that’s one cause for doubt.”

“Okay?” The Judge said slowly, obviously apprehensive. “Continue,”

“Next,” he pulled that board down and revealed one that showed images of him, his brothers and their children along with Alice on the bottom. “As you can see, I and every one of my four brothers has red hair and green eyes. Two of them with sons of their own. My oldest has three.” He pointed to the three of them. “Again, red hair and green eyes. Then there’s my second older brother, he too has a boy with red hair and green eyes.” His hands went up with a confident gesture, “Ms. Niima’s child looks nothing like me or my nephews and she’s a girl. All these facts just further prove my doubt.”

Ben and I looked at each other and we both had the same expression on our faces as if we were mentally asking each other, _This is evidence?_ We didn’t have any reason to refute it so we just shrugged our shoulders and let him walk back to his podium.

“Thank you for that _interesting_ exhibit, Mr. Hux.” Judge Lake was clearly trying her best to take his demonstration seriously. As we all were. 

“There’s also the fact that she put my name on the birth certificate without my signature.” He spoke up as he walked back to the podium. “I feel that she did it behind my back deliberately so she could keep her talons in me.”

“I have her birth certificate right here, Your Honor,” I said, holding up the paper as the bailiff walked over. “As well as the hospital records.”

As the judge was handed the new papers, Armitage spoke out, “She had the baby in _July_ , Your Honor. She was supposed to be born in late August if she was conceived in December. The dates don’t add up so that’s another reason I doubt she’s mine. Also, if Ms. Niima was so sure, then why not give her my last name?”

“She was premature, born at thirty-seven weeks,” I said through gritted teeth. “It happens. I have the release papers from hospital. As for not giving her your name, I did it because you made it abundantly clear you didn’t want to be involved in her life. ” 

“She did put your name on the birth certificate, Mr. Hux.” The Judge spoke up, as the monitor showed the certificate in question. “It lists Ms. Niima as ‘Mother’ and you as ‘Father’. But there’s no signature. Were you there for the birth?”

“No,” he said instantly.

“Why not?”

“I knew she wasn’t mine.” He said with confidence. “I had no reason to be present for the birth of a baby that I didn’t make.”

In the corner of my eye, I saw Ben glower at him from across the room before saying, “Your loss. You missed a beautiful miracle. Both of them nearly lost their lives, but they fought the battle and won. If anything, you could have shown up and gotten your DNA test as soon as Alice was out of NICU. Which was only overnight while Rey was recovering. _Or_ you could have shown up to the hearing when she was three months old.”

The audience broke out in another set of surprised “Oooooh’s” as Judge Lake lifted her head up in shock. “Wait a minute, Mr. Solo, what hearing are you referring to?”

“It was for paternity, Your Honor, for child support,” I answered for him, pulling out a copy of the summons from back then. I continued as the bailiff took it to show her. “I’d sent the paperwork to his parents’ house because I didn’t know where he was living at the time, for him to get a paternity test after she was born. He didn’t show, so he was named the biological father by default.”

“Mr. Hux,” she seemed like she was struggling to choose the right words while she looked over the papers. “This doubt could have been taken care of already but you couldn’t be bothered to show up and find out if this little girl is yours?”

“It wasn’t that I couldn’t be bothered, Your Honor.” He said as his tone got defensive. “I sincerely felt certain that there was no point since I am _not_ the father. Despite not showing up, I _still_ have to pay child support because she’d put my name on the birth certificate.”

“Well, then that’s your own fault!” She pointed out. “Not hers. If you were so worried about paying child support for a baby you don’t believe is yours, you should’ve gone to court when you were supposed to get it settled. We wouldn’t even be here today if you would’ve bothered to show up.”

“I couldn’t get a ride!”

“Oh, please,” the judge rolled her eyes, “Now, you’re just making excuses. You thought that if you didn’t go to court, then Ms. Niima wouldn’t be able to put you on child support. Did I get that right?”

Armitage chewed on his lips before answering, “For the most part.”

“Right,” she clicked her tongue before continuing. “Have you paid any child support?”

I didn’t miss the fleeting glance he threw in my direction before answering, “I would give $50 here and there to get her off my case.”

“Ms. Niima?” She inquired.

My eyes met his pleading ones, “Not a cent.”

She cast her eyes downward as she wrote down more notes, “‘$50 here and there’, you said. She says you haven’t paid anything, Mr. Hux. Do you have any proof of payments? Receipts of that show you bought items for Alice?”

“Er,” He cleared his throat. “Not with me, Your Honor.”

“Why not?” She demanded, clearly exasperated. “You knew you were coming to court today. You contacted the show. You brought an exhibit to talk about eye color and hair color, but so far, you haven’t brought anything substantial to prove your case. Your failure to appear last time put you on the hook for child support. Now, you’re saying that you’ve given Ms. Niima some money for the child, but you brought no evidence.”

There was a moment of silence before she spoke again, “Mr. Hux, do you have a job?”

“Yes,”

“Is it full-time?” He nodded his head. “What do you do for work?”

“Little bit of this. A little bit of that.”

A muscle strained her jaw, “Little bit of _what?”_

He cleared his throat, looking a bit flustered, “Handywork. Fixing a drain, cutting a fence, repairing lights, stuff like that.”

“Do you work for a company?” She edged.

“I get paid cash under the table.” His body went still. Realizing the mistake of the admission he’d just made.

“There it is!” She announced with a pleased clap of her hands. “Now I understand. The pieces all fit. I kept thinking to myself, ‘How has this man gone for almost two years and not paid any child support even though he was named the father by default? It would’ve been taken out of his paycheck.’ Now I see it! Your wages were never garnished because you don’t receive a payroll.”

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down in his throat before he nodded. “That’s correct, Your Honor.”

Judge Lake crossed her arms and gave him an even stair, “I’m assuming you know that unpaid child support can result in either a fine, jail time or both.”

“I did know that, Your Honor.” He acknowledged quietly, earning him a look of dismay from his fiancé.

The judge’s eyes honed on him like a predatory animal cornering its prey, “Is that the reason you reached out to the show, Mr. Hux? Because you’re afraid of the law coming after you for this child support?” He nodded slowly but didn’t say anything. “I need you to speak verbally, Mr. Hux. We’re talking about a child’s life here. A child that could be yours. Take some accountability for her sake. She’s innocent. Even if what you say is true and she’s not yours, this isn’t her fault.”

Armitage poked the inside of his cheek with tongue before finally saying, “Yes, I could be facing legal trouble back home and that is why I contacted the show.”

“Thank you,” She said sincerely. “I appreciate your honesty.” She looked to my podium and leaned forward on her desk. “Take me to the day you gave birth Ms. Niima. You mentioned earlier that you had some complications. Tell the court about that.”

“It was on a hot day in July.” I began. “I had been on bed rest for a while and I’d earned myself a little walk for some fresh air.”

_Two Years Ago (37 weeks)_

I had to get out of the flat. I was losing my mind. Some time outside was desperately needed.

As comfortable as the bed was, I was going stir crazy sitting at home all day. Lately, I’d taken up some hobbies that didn’t require much physical activity to pass the time. Mostly knitting and sewing. Even a little scrapbooking for after the baby was born. I’d also already started nesting around the apartment. Buying plug protector, toilet lock, corner guards, magnetic safety locks, you name it. The apartment had been entirely baby-proofed, save for Ben’s room and office. That and I’d rearranged the closet with her clothes dozens of times. Not sure if it should be color-coordinated, have colors and whites on separate shelves, organize it by what should be worn on what day.

Yeah, I definitely needed to go outside.

I slipped my feet into a pair of ballet flats, pulled on a simple white t-shirt and slid into some denim overalls. Perfect for this kind of weather. I wasn’t going to walk far. Just a few blocks and when I got tired, I could call an Uber or Lyft to bring me back. No biggie.

Grabbing my bag and keys, I left my room and made my way to the entrance door down the hall. Once it was slightly ajar, the doorknob slipped from my hand and it slammed shut again. Startled, I looked down to see that Bronx had trotted over to sit by the door and used his front paw to close it.

Experimentally, I tried opening it again, sure enough, that same paw pushed it closed. He was looking up at me with what could only be described as a firm look. Like he was trying to tell me not to go outside. As if shutting the door wasn't enough of a hint.

“I’m not going to be gone long, Bronx,” I promised him gently while giving him a gentle pat. “I’m just taking a walk.” I moved to open the door again and he let out a high-pitched yip of protest before jumping up on his hind legs to paw at my belly. “What’s the matter? Ben already took you out this morning.” He whined and rubbed his head against my stomach before licking it through the denim. His eyes almost pleading.

I took hold of both paws and gently pushed him back so he was standing on all fours. “The baby’s fine, Bronx. I can’t take you with me without Ben because I wouldn’t be able to do anything if I lost you on the lead.” I moved my body to block as I got the door open for the third time and, this time, kept it open. “I’ll be back soon, okay?” The look he kept giving when I shut the door crushed my heart, but I had to get some space so I could breathe before the baby came. I doubt I was going to get out that much at all after she’s born. So, I best enjoy one last day of freedom while I can.

The city was bustling around me as it normally did. I’d walked for a few blocks before making it to a nearby park. Waddling down some of the dirt paths as I enjoyed a gentle breeze and shade from the trees. It was warm out but not too bad. But after a while, I got tired of walking and took a seat at a bench to drink some water I’d brought with me.

As I took a thoughtful sip from the canister, I noticed something familiar in my peripheral. I took the bite valve away from my lips to get a better look. Then I wished I hadn’t.

There he was. It had months since I’d seen him last, but I would recognize him anywhere. I could spot his light-red hair from a mile away. Armitage Hux was standing several feet away from where I was. Smiling and having a jolly good time. With another woman.

She had long wavy brunette hair, just a few shades darker than my own. Sharp cheekbones, small pouty lips and perfectly sculpted eyebrows. She was beautiful. I watched on, heartbroken as he laughed and smiled with her leaning on his arm. They looked like the perfect couple. Walking hand-in-hand as if they were in their own little world.

But that wasn’t what made my breath catch. It was watching the two of them stop walking for him to get down on one knee and pull out a small box from his pocket. He held it up and opened the lid. Even far away, I could see that it was a ring.

The woman he was presenting it to covered her mouth in shock and nodding eagerly before offering him her left hand. Passerbys broke out into applause as he slid the ring onto her finger and got up from his kneeling position to let her wrap her arms around his neck to kiss him with all her might.

The baby kicked me from inside as if she could see what I was seeing. Everything I had gone through these last months coming back to me in a rapid flood of memories. Being evicted, going from living in my car to a small shack, working tirelessly in the early stages of my pregnancy, crying for hours on end because I had been abandoned once more by someone who said they loved me.

I’d accepted that he and I were over. He showed who he really was when I was at my most vulnerable. I shouldn’t be bothered. So why did it hurt so much? 

I stood up from the bench as breathing became harder. They’d already started walking away in the opposite direction. Hand-in-hand with a skip in their steps. Nothing in the world to disturb their new joy while I faded away in the background like I always did.

It was sudden. One second, I was watching my ex-boyfriend, the father of my unborn child, happily walking awaywith his new fiancé and the next...everything went black.

* * *

My mind was fuzzy. Slowly, my awareness came to me piece by piece. The first thing I noticed was the beeping sound coming from my right. Next, was the feeling of cotton muslin all over my body. I wiggled my fingers and then realized that there was something taped and hanging from the top of my hand.

I opened my eyes slowly, momentarily blinded by the harsh light. I had to blink a few times before my vision cleared. That was when I realized I was lying in a hospital bed. After I’d made that deduction, I was confused. When had I gotten here? How long?

Before I could panic, the door to my room opened and a young woman of Jamaican descent wearing a lab coat and scrubs walked in. When she saw me she smiled warmly and said, “Well, look who’s awake. How are you feeling, Ms. Niima?”

“I...erm...” I really didn’t know how to answer that. Also, how did she know my name?

Her smile stayed on her face and she responded soothingly, “Don’t worry, you’re safe. I’m Doctor Jannah Kef. You're in a hospital. You’ve been unconscious for a couple of hours.”

My throat was so dry that my voice came out raspy when I spoke, “What happened?”

“You don’t remember?” She asked gently as handed me a plastic cup filled with water and a straw. “You fainted in the park not far from here. Someone saw you collapse and called an ambulance. Good thing. Do you remember anything that may have caused it? 

_I fainted?_ That was a first. I accepted the cup from her and took a sip before replying, “It’s all a blur.” I remembered going out for a walk. After that it gets fuzzy. “Is the baby alright?”

“For now,” She wrote something down on the clipboard. “Your blood pressure was through the roof, even for a pregnant woman. We’ve got you hooked up to keep an eye on both of your heart rates. May I call you Rey?” I nodded. “Rey, I want to keep you here for a few hours. Maybe even overnight. It’s just a precaution but I want to be sure everything is okay with you and your baby before we release you, okay?”

I let out a loud and defeated sigh as I let my head fall back against the pillow. “I don’t like the idea but I don’t want anything happening to her.” I rolled my head to the side to face her again, “Is there a phone I could use? I’d like to make a few calls.”

She gave an understanding nod and walked to the other end of the room. “All of your belongings are here.” She came back over with my phone in her hand before giving it to me. “I’ll leave you alone for a few minutes. If anything happens, press the call button.” She gave me an encouraging pat on the shoulder before leaving me in the room.

 _I should probably call Armitage and let him know. It’s only fair._ I thought as I unlocked my phone and scrolled through my contacts. I pinched the bridge of my nose as a small headache made itself known while I tried to remember what had transpired today. There wasn’t much. I remembered leaving the flat because I’d wanted to go for a walk. Bronx had been acting strange and refused to let me leave.

That stood out to me. They say animals can sense just about anything before it even happens. I’d read somewhere that some service animals were trained especially to recognize irregularities in blood pressure. Maybe he could sense that mine was high or that it was going to get high. But I couldn’t imagine it spiking just because of a walk. It wasn’t like I’d been dehydrated. I remembered sipping from my water canister occasionally.

Then I remembered. My hand shook as my fingers tightened on my phone after I’d dialed his number.

I’d seen Armitage. More than that. I saw him with another woman. He got down on one knee and proposed to her while I barely stood a hundred feet away from them. That was what did it. Witnessing the man who’d left me with nothing move on with his life while mine stood still. Frozen in time. 

_Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it._ Kept repeating in my head like a mantra as the phone rang. I tried twice before I was eventually greeted by his voicemail automatically. He was ignoring me. I wasn’t sure if I felt disappointed or relieved that I didn’t have to talk to him while he was entertaining his new girlfriend. Instead, I waited patiently for the beep. “Armi, it’s Rey.” I started calmly, “I’m in hospital at the Mount Sinai Doctors at 52 West 8th Street. There may be something wrong with the baby so I’m being kept under observation. I know we’ve had our differences but I’m asking— no I’m _begging_ you to come. Not for me but for our baby. I don’t…” I paused to take a breath. “I don’t know what’s going to happen and I’m scared. Please call me back when you get this. Bye.”

The phone remained in my hands as I stared blankly at the screen. Would he call back? Unlikely. He’s made no effort to be involved so far, why would this be any different. I wasn’t even due for another month. Nothing may even happen but that didn’t mean I was in the clear. Not yet anyway. They didn’t tell me how long I would be staying here so I was literally stuck. It was clear that I was going to do this alone.

Or was I? I looked at my phone again, contemplating. I could call Ben. He did say that if I ever needed anything, he would be there in a heartbeat. But that didn’t mean I could just abuse the offer. Does this count? I still didn’t know how serious this was. I may end up going home in a few hours and he would never know I was even here.

However, what if I end up staying overnight? He would undoubtedly notice when he got home and found me gone. Then he’d call me himself and ask me if I was alright. Could I lie to him if that were to happen? Probably not. He sees right through me and can detect a fib from a mile away. Maybe it would be easier to rip off the bandaid now. 

Resolved, I scrolled through my contacts, found his name, and pressed ‘Call’. It rang and rang until it too went to his voicemail, but I panicked and hung up. Since he didn’t answer, he must have been plenty occupied already. It was a weekday, so he was likely teaching classes. There was no need for me to leave a message for him in this state. I didn’t trust myself not to break down when I barely made it through Armi’s machine.

When I heard a small vibration noise to my left, I looked over to see that it was my phone on the overbed table. It was ringing and in big bold letters, it read ‘ **Ben** ’. I reached for it immediately and my hands started shaking so bad that I almost dropped it. When I finally managed to hit ‘Answer’, I put it up to my ear, “Hello?”

“ _Hey!_ ” He greeted me, sounding out of breath. “ _Sorry I missed your call, I was wrapping up my kendo class. What’s up?_ ”

I couldn’t contain the shock in my voice as the sound of his concern was already overwhelming me with warmth. _He called me back!_ “Ben?”

“ _Yeah,_ ” Then his tone changed slightly, “ _Is everything okay?_ ” When I didn’t answer right away he started to sound worried. “ _Rey, talk to me. What’s wrong?_ ”

Oh right, I’d called him. I’d prepared to sit here alone for an unprecedented amount of time. So when he called me right back I was taken completely off guard and forgot that I was supposed to reply. “I’m...I’m in hospital.”

Those three words set something in motion because I swear I felt him tense on the other end of the line. His next sentence came out so clear he sounded like was in the room with me. “ _I’m on my way. What hospital? Where?_ ”

“Mount Sinai Doctors at 52 West 8th Street,” I said slowly, shaking my head to clear it.

I heard some shuffling and movement before he spoke again, “ _I’ll be there in twenty. Just hang on, I’m coming._ ”

“But—” He’d already hung up. At that same moment, Dr. Kef walked back in.

She looked at me staring at my phone in shock and asked, “Was that the father?”

“No,” I pinched the bridge of my nose, my mind still reeling. “He was...unavailable, so I left him a message. But I was just speaking with my friend. He’s on his way over.”

She nodded, seemingly pleased. “Well, that’s good. Sounds like you have someone in your corner.”

* * *

True to his word, Ben arrived within half an hour. I was still talking to the doctor when he knocked on the door.

Dr. Kef opened the door and greeted him, “Ben Solo?”

“Yes, I’m here to see Rey Niima.” He sounded frantic. “The front desk said she was here. Is she okay? What about the baby?”

“Ms. Niima had a little accident earlier today but both their heart rates and blood pressures are currently stable.” She stepped aside so he could enter the room fully. He saw me on the bed and immediately came to my side and hugged me, mindful of all the wires attached to me as well as the monitoring belt wrapped around my belly.

“I’ll leave you two alone.” She said gently as she scribbled something down on her clipboard. “I’ll be close by. Everything seems fine right now, but the moment you feel any pain or discomfort, let me or one of the nurses know immediately.”

“Yes, doctor.” I agreed, still keeping a tight hold on Ben.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, he pulled away and noticed the bruise on my forearm. “What happened?”

I didn’t want to go into details about what I’d seen earlier, so I just stuck with the facts. “I fainted earlier. High blood pressure, they said. Someone saw and called an ambulance.” His hand came up and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as I kept talking. “They’re keeping me here until they’re sure that nothing is wrong with the baby.”

He looked up at the fetal heart monitor, his brow crinkled with worry. “How long have you been here?” 

I checked the time on my phone, “At least three hours.” 

His eyes widened like saucers. “Why didn’t you call me sooner?”

“I only woke up an hour ago,” I explained with a shrug. “And we still don’t know if this is anything serious yet. I didn’t want to bother you if there was a chance I would be leaving before tonight.” My hand moved on its own accord to stroke my swollen midsection. 

“Rey, you’re never a bother. You know that. Especially when it comes to her.” He assured me as he pulled up a chair and placed his own hand on my stomach. She kicked me under his touch, making him smile and rub the same spot. “Hey, you! Are you giving momma a hard time?” He leaned in closer to press his ear against the hospital gown and listen. 

I checked the time again and frowned, the gym didn’t close for another five hours.“Aren’t you supposed to still be teaching right about now, Ben? What about your classes?”

He snorted and gave me a doubtful look. “I only had two more classes and Phasma was able to cover for me.” Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His thumb started typing away and he said, “Everything else is just paperwork and I can do that at home.”

My brow arched slightly. “What about Bronx? He’s going to need to go for a walk”

He was ready for that because his face lifted into a knowing grin, “Already called Dad. He’s gonna take him out for a couple of hours at the dog park and then meet us here.” He put his phone back and crossed his arm. “Anything else?”

I shook my head, trying to keep myself smiling back. “No, that pretty much settles it.”

We stayed like that for a little while. Just idle chatter back and forth about nothing interesting. The only thing that was really bothersome was the constant checking in with the nurses every twenty minutes. Not that I wasn’t grateful that they were being thorough but I was tired of being fussed over.

When the fourth checkup was just minutes away, I was more than ready to leave at that point. Ben checked his watch and pursed his lips, “You can glare all you want, Rey, you’re not going anywhere.”

I snuffed at him, “I just want to get out of here and go home. I’m tired of sitting in this uncomfortable bed. I can already feel the bed sores beginning to form.” I’d lost track of how many times I’ve had to change my position. Nothing really felt right.

He gave me a pointed look, “You know that they’re likely going to recommend that you spend the remainder of the pregnancy on bed rest, right? You’ll just be trading one bed for another one.”

“Yes, but _that_ one is like sleeping on a giant marshmallow.” I couldn’t suppress my smirk. “I could stay on that thing for the rest of my life.”

“Which might actually happen if you keep overexerting yourself. Quit fidgeting!”

“I can’t help it,” I told him as I resituated myself again. “Oh!” I said when I felt a twinge in my back. That was strange. Then there was a high-pitched shout that scared Ben so badly that he jumped up from his chair. He looked at me in shock and that was when I realized that the shout came from me.

“Ben, my back,” I said worriedly, then cried out in pain again. All of a sudden, the beeping from the monitors accelerated and started blaring. Panic began to bubble out as I spoke, “What’s going on? What’s happening?” The pain wasn’t going away!

He turned sheet-white shook his head. “I don’t know.” Then he made a run for the door and called out, “Hey, I need a doctor or nurse! Anyone!”

 _This can’t be a contraction! What is it?_ The loud beeping seemed like it was going faster and it felt like I couldn’t breathe! My own heart monitor had sped up in pace as well. All the worst-case scenarios were fighting over each other in my mind. What was happening?

The door opened and Ben came in, flanked by Dr. Kef and two nurses. He walked to the other side of the bed where I wasn’t hooked up to machines and took my hand. One of the nurses lifted the blanket to check for something before looking at the other nurse with worry. “She’s bleeding! Get Dr. Kef, now!”

“What?” When the other nurse ran from the room, I asked the one that was now removing the blanket. It was then I could feel a slight wetness trickle from between my thighs. _Oh, God, it’s happening! I’m losing my baby!_ “Please help me!”

“What is going on?” Ben demanded as he kept his hold on my hand.

A nurse came up and blocked him from my view, forcing him to release my hand. “Sir, we’re going to have to ask you to leave.”

“I’m not leaving her!” He growled, firm.

I reached for him desperately as he tried to get around her, “Ben!”

In the next instant, Dr. Kef came running in with the other nurse plus two more. One look and she began barking orders at the nurses. When she turned to the nurse blocking Ben, she said, “Take him to get some scrubs.” He was pushed out of the room and out of my sight. Looking helplessly at me as I continued reaching out for him. _Don’t leave me, please!_

As the nurses scrambled around to follow her instructions, the doctor turned to me, “Ms. Niima, you’re having a placental abruption, which means the placenta is detaching from the uterine wall, making it difficult for the baby to get oxygen. We’re going to take care of you but I’m going to need you to stay as calm as possible, okay?”

“Is my baby going to die?” I asked through the pain. She didn’t say anything at first. “Answer me!”

“I’ll tell you, right now. Truth is, this is deadly for both of you.” She gently placed her hand on mine, her eyes unblinking, “But, we’re going to do everything we can, okay? You’re still early, however the baby’s developed enough to where she might be just fine. We’re going to need to perform an emergency cesarean, alright?”

I stared into her eyes, unblinking, “Do whatever you have to do, I don’t care what happens to me! Save her! Please!”

She gave a firm nod, then to the nurses. “Alright, we’re going to wheel her into the operating room.”

Everything flew past me in a blur. I remembered being moved into a different room. Smaller. Even more sterile than the last. The nurses all moved about as they prepared me for the operation. I just kept staring straight ahead. I didn’t even feel the long needle being inserted into my spine as the anesthesiologist injected me with a numbing agent before the anesthetic. I did notice the bottom half of my body going numb as they laid me back down. My hair had been put up in a condor bouffant cap while I stared up at the lights in deep thought. I couldn’t feel the nasal cannulas being put into my nose. I didn’t even notice the anesthesiologist inject me in the spine with a numbing agent or the anesthetic.

All I could think about was the impending doom that has been given to me. I was trying to keep breathing even so as not to cause any more potential harm to my daughter. But it was a fruitless task. There was a good chance that only one of us was going to leave this room when it was over. If my baby didn’t make it, I don't know what I would do. Everything I had done up to this point had been for her. Now, I may not even get the chance to hold her.

They hung a blue drape over my chest as the door opened and I could tell that it was Dr. Kef behind the mask and hairnet. I vaguely remember her asking me if I was alright as she brought the blanket up to my chin. I just nodded and then she informed me that they were going to proceed with the cesarean. 

Another doctor came in and sat on a chair next to me. I didn’t pay him any mind at first. I’d just assumed that he was there as an extra precaution. Then I felt a hand rest on my shoulder and I turned to him.

When honey-brown eyes looked back at me, I recognized him immediately. “Ben?”

He nodded gently. “Yeah, Rey.” He said, his voice muffled. He was wearing a surgical mask. “I’m right here.” His hair had been pulled back into a medical cap which revealed his large ears and he was wearing blue scrubs. If it hadn’t been for his eyes, I probably never would’ve guessed it was him.

My eyes watered as I looked at him. “You’re really here.”

He moved his hand up so he could stroke my forehead. I could see his eyes crinkle up as he smiled through his mask. “You can’t get rid of me that easily.”

I choked on a sob of relief as he reached down with his other hand to hold mine. I squeezed his fingers as I confessed, “I’m scared.”

“I know,” he said comfortingly. “I am too.”

“Ben, you’ve done so much for me up to now. You’ve been my friend and confidant throughout this pregnancy and you’ve proven time and again that you would always protect me.” I told him earnestly. “But there’s one more thing I have to ask you.”

He leaned in close, his eyes intense. “Anything.”

I swallowed once to moisten my throat as the words slipped out of my chapped lips. “If I don’t make it—no—let me finish, please.” I stopped him before he could interject. “If I don’t...survive this, I want you to take care of the baby.”

“Hey, don’t talk like that!” He said with an insistent shake of his head. “Listen, you’re gonna be fine. Okay? Nothing is going to happen to you or the baby.” His thumb rubbed against my temple. “You’re not dying today, Rey. She needs you.”

“Please, Ben,” I implored him as tears streamed down from my eyes. “I have no family. You’re the only person I can ask. Armitage might not claim her and she could become a ward of the state. I do not want my daughter to go through what I did in foster care.”

“That will _never_ happen.” He swore, his voice low.

“Then promise me that you’ll take care of her,” I begged him again. “I’ve never trusted anyone in my life until I saw you again. You protected me when I was a defenseless little girl and found me again years later to protect me as a pregnant mother. If there’s anyone who can keep her safe, it’s you.”

His eyes slammed shut as if he were in pain and he hung his head low. His fists clenched tightly as if the bones would protrude from his knuckles while he bounced his knee in contemplation. If the room wasn’t filled with medical personnel, he probably would’ve got up and paced the room until he made a hole in the floor. 

Eventually, he lifted his head to meet my eyes. His red and glistening with tears. “Alright. Alright, sweetheart. I promise that,” he choked, “if you don’t make it, I’ll take care of her. I’ll raise her and cherish her as if she were my own. She won’t live a single day without knowing a parent’s love.” He reached for my hand and brought to his covered lips to lay a kiss. “I promise, Rey.”

I smile through my tears, overwhelmed with gratitude. “Thank you.” My baby was going to be safe. That was all that mattered. If anyone could keep her safe, it would be Ben. In the end, that’s all I want.

“There she is!” I heard the doctor announce with excitement. Both of us turned our heads in towards the sheet. “Okay, we’re almost there. Almost...”

 _Please!_ I thought desperately as I tried to listen. _Let her be alright! I’ll do anything, just let my child live!_

“Okay, we got her!” Dr. Kef announced and I almost sobbed in relief when I caught a glimpse of something slimy and red over the curtain.

But it was quiet. Weren’t newborn babies supposed to cry? Why wasn’t she crying? I looked at Ben briefly and he too had the same expression of terror as I must’ve had. _No!_

Then there it was. The most beautiful thing I had ever heard. The sound of a newborn's wail. Oh, it was so loud but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When the doctor asked about cutting the cord, I looked to Ben and said, “Go, I want you to do it.”

He nodded once and he was then directed to stand close to the sheet and reached over. I heard a short snipping sound and then I saw something small and wrapped in a towel being placed in his arms. It was her.

Ben was sobbing happily as he looked down at the screaming newborn before bringing her to me. “She’s beautiful, Rey! She’s so beautiful! Here,” he brought her down to my eye-level. He was right. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Her face was scrunched up tightly while her arms and legs moved about. Gumless mouth wide open as she continued to cry. My arms had been bound to my chest for safety measures, so I couldn’t hold her. But I could see her perfectly.

“Alice.” I breathed. It just came out. All these months of indecisive name picking had suddenly come to an abrupt halt. “My Alice.”

One of her tiny hands flailed around until it hit me on the cheek. It didn’t hurt. In fact, I loved it. It seemed that that little touch was all she needed to recognize me. Because she reached out again, this time placing her whole arm under my chin. Holding my face close to hers as cries simmered down to small whimpers.

“Hello, darling.” I greeted her for the first time. _She knows who I am. She knows I’m her mum._ “You’re absolutely perfect. I love you, Alice.” I could feel it happening then. I was losing my hold. On cue, the monitors began to blare loudly but I could barely hear it. 

“She’s lost too much blood. She’s going into shock!” Someone called out. I couldn’t tell who. Maybe the doctor?

My surroundings became blurry and my hearing muffled. “Rey?” That was Ben, I think. It was getting harder to tell what was what and who was who. Alice’s cling to me was the only thing I could decipher from everything else. All I could do was look at her from the corner of my eye as Ben’s blurry silhouette pulled her close to him. “Rey, can you hear me?”

I tried moving my lips to reply, but I couldn’t. My eyes were unable to stay open as the overwhelming desire for sleep came upon me. This was it. I was falling. I was going to die. I would never be able to watch my daughter grow up. But it’s alright. Alice was safe. Ben would take care of her. That’s what mattered more than anything. I could let go now. 

“Rey, please hang on!” I could still hear him. He sounded scared. “Don’t you die on me! Please, Rey!” _It’ll be alright._ I tried to tell him, but I still couldn’t move my lips. “You can’t leave me now! I lo—”

It was like I was underwater. I couldn’t hear him as clearly anymore. His voice sounded further and further away. My body couldn’t hold out much longer. It was time.

The last thing I heard before the darkness could completely claim me, was his frantic voice calling out to me.

“REY!”


	10. The Ones That Truly Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alice is finally here and Rey's world will never be the same. Here, Rey begins to embrace the role of motherhood single parent. Ben makes an offer that has her rethink her entire plan. Will she accept it? Or will she brave the storm and face the consequences?

It felt like I was floating. There was no sense of when or where I was. I was just here, in a plane of existence. Wherever ‘here’ was. It was as if my mind and body were stuffed with cotton.

The last thing I remembered was looking at my daughter Alice in Ben’s arms. Feeling content that she was going to be safe and that I could leave them without worry. That’s probably what happened. I must be dead. Or somewhere in between before I crossed over.

I couldn’t move nor speak. But I could hear. Someone was talking to me. Reaching out to me through the void.

“ _Rey,_ ” They started, “ _Please, wake up._ ”

It sounded like Ben. Wherever I was, I could still recognize his voice.

“ _There’s so much left here for you to do._ ” He said imploringly. “ _You’re strong and empowering. You’ve worked so hard your whole life to get where you are, you can’t leave now. You can’t go before watching Alice grow up._ ” I heard him sob. “ _She’s doing so great. The doctor said she’s as healthy as can be. They’ll take her out of intensive care in a few hours. Oh, Rey, she’s spectacular. She’s barely even a day old and I love her so much already. In these last few hours since she’s been born, I’ve seen that same fighting spirit you have in her._ ” There was a short moment of silence before he spoke again. “ _I know_ _I promised I’d take care of her and I will...but I want you here too. Alice needs you._ I _need you. There are so many things I haven’t told you yet. Things you need to know. But I can’t say them if you don’t wake up, Rey. Please, come back to us. Come back to_ me.”

That was all I heard before I slipped away into the darkness once more.

* * *

More time passed before I was pulled forth from the fog again. Things seemed to come to me more clearly and I became more aware. For the second day in a row, or the third, I woke up in a hospital bed. My eyes slowly opened and I could see the fiberglass ceiling above me. To my right I saw, hanging from the rack, two saline bags. One filled with clear liquid and the other...dark red. What in the world?

I let out a hiss of discomfort when I felt a new soreness on my lower abdomen. Out of instinct, my hand went up to stroke my belly and search for the life that grew within me. Only, instead of a firm roundness, I was met with loose and stretchy skin. Startled, I looked down and saw that my stomach was less than half the size it was when I last looked at it. Then I felt it. The emptiness. Something missing.

 _Where’s my baby?_ I looked around the room with a new sense of panic. _What happened? Where is she? Who took her?_ In seconds, I was hyperventilating. My baby was gone!

Before I could start screaming and demand to know where my child was, someone walked in. My head swung in the direction of the newcomer and was met with a familiar face. “Han?!”

The older gentleman jumped in surprise when I’d called his name. His eyes widening with relief as he stepped towards my bed. “Oh my God, Rey, you’re awake!”

Feeling perplexed and scared, I reached for him. He put down a cup he’d been holding and came to stand by my bed. When he was within reach, I grasped his hand in an iron grip, my voice shaking with terror, “My baby! Where is she? She’s gone!”

His eyes softened and he took a seat, never letting go of my hand. “Rey, do you remember anything?” I shook my head furiously and he kept going, his voice comforting, “Okay, try to stay calm. The doctor said you might wake up confused and disoriented but it will come back to you.”

“Where. Is. My. Baby?” I demanded desperately, squeezing his hand.

He didn’t even flinch from the death grip I now had on him. His voice remained calm and even, “Alice is being discharged from the intensive care unit as we speak. Ben’s with her now.”

My breath caught, “Alice?” Suddenly, I remembered. All of it. The park. Armitage. Waking up in a hospital room similar to this one. Ben coming. Being rushed into an operating room. Seeing my baby for the first time before falling into the depths of darkness.

“My Alice,” I whispered and rubbed my temple with my other hand. The memories came with a new headache as my brain tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. “She’s alright?”

I saw some moisture collect in the corner of his eye before he brushed it away. “She’s amazing, kid. And she’s going to be just fine. She’s well developed for 37 weeks. They were mainly worried about her lungs, but they’re in good shape. I gotta tell ya, they’re impressive. She could sing opera when she gets older.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” My body deflated as I became overwhelmed with relief. I let myself sink into the mattress and relax. But, when I moved, my stomach stung in protest. “Ow,”

He let go of my hand and stood, “Are you in any pain?”

I nodded slightly, “A little. In my stomach.”

“I’m not surprised.” He said with a shake of his head. “C-sections are no joke. They’ll be here any minute, so the doctor may be able to give you something. But I can’t say for sure.” Then he smiled. “Ben is going to be over the moon when he sees you’re awake. He’s been with Alice all night. He would only leave her for a few minutes at a time to check on you while you rested.”

“How long was I asleep for?” I asked, dreading the answer. Last I remembered, it wasn’t even night when I was taken into surgery. The sun was already high up in the sky now.

“Let me see here,” He lifted up his wrist to examine his watch. “I got here about a half-hour after Alice was born. That was not long after 7 pm. So a little over thirteen hours.” 

“Thirteen!?” My mouth fell open in amazement, “He stayed with her all that time?”

He smirked, “A herd of elephants couldn’t pull him away from her. I swear that she’s going to be superglued into his arms when you’re not watching. He even came in with her to see you once. Keeping her in one arm while holding your hand with the other. He thought it might help you wake up quicker.”

“He sat with me?” I asked, bewildered.

“Every forty-five minutes.” He confirmed. “He was a mess. Almost sick with worry. I offered to stay so he could go home and get some rest, but he wouldn’t hear it. He didn’t want to leave either of you.”

“And you?”

He shrugged, “I came last night after I walked and fed Bronx. Just got back a while ago after taking him for another walk this morning. Kept your snoozing self company while he stayed with Alice.”

I raised a brow jokingly, already at ease. “You sure you didn't just come to drag me back to work as soon as I was conscious?”

“Don’t tempt me, kid.” He said with fake firmness. “Ben was beside himself and I was worried too. You came pretty close.”

As if he could sense us talking about him, the man in question walked through the door. But I didn’t have a chance to greet him. The moment he saw me he shouted my name, shot over and encased me in a warm bear hug. I barely got to even look at him before he pulled me against him.

Before I could protest that he was squeezing me a little too tight, he murmured shakily, “I was so worried.”

Touched by his concern, I forgot about his death grip and hugged him back. “I’m okay, Ben.”

His hand came up to cradle the back of my head, keeping his face burrowed in the crook in my neck. “I thought I lost you.” I could feel slight moisture on my skin. Was he crying? “When you lost consciousness I thought that was it. Don’t ever do that again.”

“I’m sorry,” I told him sincerely. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

He gave me another squeeze before pulling away to look me over. I could finally see his face clearly. He looked like he'd been through hell. There were dark bags under his eyes. His long hair, which he usually kept combed and neat, was disheveled and hanging around his face. He also had a shadow of some stubble growth around his mouth. I’d never seen him so unkept before.

Behind him, I saw a nurse and Dr. Kef walk in pushing a stainless steel bassinet. My breath catching when I saw something swaddled with a blanket inside. _My baby girl._

“You’re awake, Ms. Niima.” Dr. Kef with a relieved tone. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine,” I told her, “A little sore.”

She nodded with understanding, “That’s to be expected. The incision will hurt for a while and in a few days, we’ll remove the stitches.”

I bit my lip nervously, “When can I go home?”

“Hopefully in less than a week.” My mouth fell open and she continued, “It’s a normal recovery period after a c-section and you also had a placental abruption, remember? You lost a lot of blood and you almost died. We needed to give you a transfusion.”

“That explains that,” I said, looking up at the plasma bag filled with red liquid. I could finally see the blood type letters printed on the label. 

The doctor came closer and offered a happy grin, “Would you like to hold your daughter?”

My throat became dry and I swallowed with a nod. “Yes, I want to see her.”

The nurse behind her picked up the tiny bundle and brought her over to me. Seeing the face of my daughter clearly for the first time instead of under the influence of numbing agents and blood loss.

She gently placed her in my waiting arms, letting me get comfortable with holding her. I cradled her small head in my hand as I marveled at her pink face. She truly was perfect. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful than her. I made her. She was mine.

Her face twisted slightly before letting her eyes open. A slight grayish color that they’ll have for a few months until they change. They look around the room briefly before landing on mine. At that moment, nothing else existed. I could tell she recognized me as quickly as she had right after birth. There was no one else in the world except us. Like we were communicating in our secret language to one another mentally.

“Hello there, Alice,” I greeted her warmly. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

She blinked at me, curious. As if whatever she wanted was obvious. I looked to the nurse, “I think she’s hungry.”

“Your milk has come in.” Dr. Kef informed me, “Would you like to feed her?”

My face lit up with maternal excitement and I nodded eagerly, “Yes,” I let her take Alice so I can bring my hospital gown down to wear it barely hung above my breasts. They were already beginning to build with pressure. As if my body knew what I was about to do before I did it.

She placed a pillow under my chest as I straightened to sit up. Then she gave Alice back to me as I moved to place her head close to the skin.

Ben cleared his throat and gestured towards Han. “Let’s give them the room, Dad. Have some uninterrupted bonding time.”

Han smiled in agreement and stood up from the chair. “I agree,” He gave me a pat on the shoulder. “See you in a bit, kid.”

“We’ll be in the cafeteria,” Ben said before leaning in to press a kiss to my tangled hair. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Thank you for staying with her,” I said with all my gratitude. “You have no idea how much it means to me.”

“I think I do.” He smiled, “It was nothing.”

They were followed out by both of the medical professionals. Leaving me alone with my daughter.

I gently lowered the gown, exposing my bare breast and then propped up her head so it was facing my nipple. I took my breast in hand and expressed some droplets of milk onto her lips, coaxing her to open them and latch on. It took a few tries, but she eventually found her way to the tip and suckled greedily.

 _This is my baby!_ I thought with excitement and fear. _She’s finally here!_ After months of feeling and watching her grow inside me, I still wasn’t prepared to see how beautiful she was. Maybe it was because she was mine? Maternal pride welled up inside me as I watched her nurse. _I think so._

I saw my phone on the overbed table and brought it over to pick it up. Smiling when it turned on and showed that the battery was at full capacity. Either Han or Ben must have kept it charged for me while I was sleeping. I opened my camera and took a picture of her. Thinking I could send it to Armitage through a text in hopes that he may reach out now that she’s here.

I hit ‘send’ and it went to his messages. I watched it go on as ‘read’ and waited patiently for him to respond. Only for no response to come for some time. Each second ticked by as if time was slowing down. Then it lit up with a small vibration. He responded! But it wasn’t the excited new father that I had been hoping for.

Nope, it was the same areshole that felt I was too beneath him to even acknowledge with decency. I also noticed that he hasn’t even attempted to get a hold of me since I left the voicemail last night. Either he simply ignored it or didn’t care. Given this new response, I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the latter.

_You wouldn’t dare!_

Curious, I hopped into his social media pages and tried them...until I couldn’t find him. In Facebook Messenger, his picture was blank and his name read ‘Facebook User’. I went to his page and the whole thing was blank. I couldn’t find his Instagram or his Snapchat either.

 _The twit actually blocked me!_ I realized with outrage. He blocked me! Here I was, only hours after giving birth to _his_ child and he’d fucking blocked me on social media. All because I told him that his baby was here.

I thought I was being the bigger person by giving him the opportunity to be a part of her life. That I was willing to let bygones be bygones so that we could move forward and be good parents. I was even willing to accept his new fiance in her life. Legally, she was going to be Alice’s stepmother and quite possibly the mother of any half-siblings she may have. I wouldn’t want to deprive her of knowing her brothers and sisters after being an only child myself. I had no family growing up and I didn’t want the same for her.

Did it really have to come to this? Apparently so. Even after all that was said and done between us, I still held onto some hope that he and I could come together and co-parent. But Armitage would rather believe she wasn’t his than even make an effort to prove otherwise.

But it didn’t matter. I would see to it that she never feels lonely. That, no matter what, she will always have people around her who care. I wasn’t the first single mother on the planet and I wasn’t going to be the last. Fathers too. She wasn’t doomed to a sad fate like I was. If anything, she was the light at the end of my own tunnel.

Here, in this moment. This was why I’m here. All of the trials I have gone through for this moment made it all worth it. Seeing her. Holding her. I would do it all again if it meant I would have Alice. From this day forward, my life was never going to be the same. Anything I do from now on will be connected to and for her until she’s an adult. The road ahead wasn’t going to be an easy one, but I can handle it. I have to be strong for her.

There was a tug on my nipple and she gnawed into it a little hard before continuing smoothly.

“Oh, Alice,” I murmured mournfully. “I’m so sorry. You’re only hours old and you have to deal with the issues resulting from my bad choices. I have no other family to offer you. No grandparents, not even a father.” I paused before lowering my voice. “But I do have lots of friends. And I promise that they’ll be a better family than you could ask for. You have a village, little one. People who love you.”

“I don't know how good of a mother I will be,” I confessed to her, “I know it’s not going to be easy. But I can promise that I’ll do my best. I’ll always put your needs above my own. You will always come first.” When she pulled away from my nipple, I brought her up to my shoulder to pat her back. After she let out a small burp, I brought her down to rest against the skin below my neck. “We’re going to be alright, darling.”

* * *

Ben rejoined me in my room sometime later after Alice dozed off. Frowning when he saw the disappointed look on my face. He sat down on the bed next to me and took my hand, “Hey, what’s the matter?”

I kept my eyes down on the sleeping babe. Worried that if I looked at him, I may break down. “It would seem that Armitage has decided once more that he is not her father nor does care to find out for sure.”

“What do you mean?” He asked quietly.

Clearing my throat, I reached for my phone and unlocked the screen. “Have a look. The messages are right there.”

With a furrow of his brow, he took the device from me and looked at what I was talking about. In a split second, his expression went from confused to aggravated to the point where he started shaking. “That son of a—”

“Ben,” I whispered scoldingly. “Language!”

He paused, glancing down at Alice before muttering, “...biscuit.” He put my phone down and crossed his arms. “What is he, in the tenth grade? Are you sure he graduated high school?”

“I was there,” I confirmed. “But maybe he cheated on his tests.”

“I just don’t get it.” He murmured. “How can a man commit so much time to a woman, only to abandon her because he got bored of her? A woman carrying his child, no less. He’s so insecure that he’d rather believe you cheated on him than to step forward and be a father.”

I smiled at him sadly, “Well, he’s not the first man to behave that way, Ben. There are plenty out there just as spineless as he is.”

He nodded, “I know. It’s just, he has the chance to find out and he’s choosing not to.” He let his eyes wander over to mine. “If I thought for a second that there was a baby out there that could be mine, I wouldn’t hesitate to find out. Even if it was unlikely, I would do it for the baby’s sake. If I wasn’t the father, then that would just mean there was one less man to narrow down. If I was, I would do my part and step up.”

“Not everyone is as honorable as you are.” I reminded him. Then, even though it pained me, I said, “One day, hopefully soon, you’ll be able to have that experience with the woman you love. Have that happy life and raise a family with her. Whoever she is, I know she’ll be lucky to have you.”

His face became solemn and he said, “I hope so.”

In truth, the thought of seeing Ben marrying and having kids with somebody else hurt. It was selfish of me, but I couldn’t help it. I needed to get used to the idea. He deserved to have the best of everything and we were just friends. That’s all we were and that alone was more than enough. My bed has already been made. I accepted it the moment Armitage slammed the door in my face.

“What are you gonna do?” He asked with new worry.

I shrugged, “What I’ve been doing. Move forward without him.”

“Are you really going to take him to court?”

My eyes remained trained on Alice, “I think so. It’s only for her sake. We both made her, so whether he wants to admit it or not, he should still be held accountable. He was prepared to have us live on the streets with nothing while he carried on with his life. He’s just as responsible for her as I am.”

He didn’t say anything in response. Instead, he just kept silent while we watched the little one sleep in my arms. Unaware of the drama playing out around her.

A few minutes later, the same nurse that brought her in earlier returned with a clipboard in hand. She produced a sheet of paper and a pen, “Alright now, Ms. Niima.” She started, “It’s time to fill out Alice’s birth certificate. May I please have the first and last name of the father?”

Flashes of what I had seen yesterday as well as the messages that were still glowing on my phone came flooding back to me. But I knew this moment was coming. “Arm—”

I was interrupted when I felt Ben’s hand on mine. He looked up at the nurse and said, “Excuse me, nurse, but can we have the room for a moment longer? There’s something we need to talk about.”

Both the nurse and I looked at him questioningly before she relented and put the pen back in her pocket. “Sure, not a problem. Just hit the call button whenever you’re ready.”

When she was gone, I turned to face Ben, mindful of Alice still under my chin. “Is something wrong?”

“Rey,” He tightened his hold on my hand. His eyes bore deeply into mine, nervous, “Say the word, and I’ll put my name on the birth certificate.”

“What?” I croaked, “Ben, she’s not—”

“I know she’s not,” He said, cutting me off. “And by blood, she never will be. But that doesn’t mean I can’t still claim her. That way, no matter what happens, she’ll be taken care of. She would inherit from me.”

I gawked at him in amazement, “You would do that?”

He nodded as he lifted a hand to run a long finger up and down her soft back. “Absolutely,” Then he took hold of her tiny hand. “I promised that I would help you take care of her. By claiming her as my daughter, this could give her some security and you don’t have to torture yourself with that jerk. He didn’t even have the balls to show up for her birth. Even now, he’s not man enough to come here and find out if she’s his. He doesn’t deserve to have his name on her birth certificate.”

I was suddenly filled with a new sense of excitement. If Ben claimed Alice, I wouldn’t have to worry about Armitage ever again. He still refused to acknowledge that she was his even though he damn well knows it. A large child, that’s what he was. Alice deserved better. Ben, on the other hand, was a good person. Selfless and honorable. Not to mention protective. She would be lucky to have a man like that as her father.

There was a snort on my chest and I glanced down to see her attempt to rub her nose on my skin. I reached a tentative finger to rub the small appendage for her. She settled almost immediately and snuggled back into the blanket. Then I saw it. It was as quick as a flash but I could also feel it. In her short hours of life, I could already detect some of her father in her.

Armitage had made his point clear when he texted me back earlier this morning. He had no intention of being in her life. But that’s not her fault. It was mine. I thought I knew the man I was with and, in truth, I didn't have a clue. She didn’t ask for any of this nonsense so she shouldn’t have to pay for my misjudgment. 

I met Ben’s eyes and placed my hand atop of his, “Ben, as much as I appreciate what you’re offering, not to mention grateful, I can’t let you do that.”

He looked taken aback. “Why not?”

“Because, at the end of the day, she is still half his.” I expressed gently. “Biologically speaking anyway. I don’t think it’s right for me to hide him from her when she has the right to know where she comes from.

“Does she really have to know?” He asked tentatively. “Wouldn’t it be better not knowing that the man who made her is a selfish jerk?”

I chuckled, “I suppose it would, but I want to be a better person. Taking shortcuts to make my life easier is not how I want this to go. I can’t even hate him because she wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him. I chose to lay down with him so I have to own it. This isn’t about me anymore, it’s about her. And I don’t want to start our lives together with a lie. She deserves the truth.” I looked down at her perfect little face. My whole universe held in my arms. No, as much as I’d like to, I can’t choose who her father is. No matter how much time will pass, half of her will always be his. “Not just that, but what if there’s a medical instance where I may truly need her father’s family? I know nothing of my own family’s medical history and they’ve already confirmed to me that we don’t have the same blood type. It could actually save her life one day.”

“I don’t want to hide anything from her. Pretending that he isn’t her father would make me feel like I would be denying a part of her. Yes, he left me, but he has given something far more precious in exchange. I don’t have it in me to hate him. One day, when she’s older, I can give her the full story.”

He squeezed my hand and murmured, “You’re amazing, Rey.”

“No,” I leaned down to place a small kiss on her beanie. “I’m a mother.”

The nurse came back a few minutes later. This time, without hesitation, I gave her Armitage's full name. But Alice would share my last name instead of his. Afterward, she proceeded to inform me that I could file for child support after proving paternity in court at a later date and would provide me with all the information I would need to go forward with it. 

When she left again, I turned to Ben again, “Perhaps, with your permission, you could be named as her godfather instead?” I offered. “That way, in case anything were to happen to me, legally she would be yours instead of being juggled at court with Armitage and his family. I doubt that he is going to sue for custody at any time soon. He seems more interested in pretending that we were never together to begin with.” I took in a nervous breath. “Would that be alright?”

The haughty grin on his face was all the answer I needed. Even when he said, “I would be honored, Rey.” 

* * *

Both Han and Ben went home that evening at my insistence. Promising that they would be back in the morning. The next day, I was cleared for more visitors. First, Rose and Zorii came together. Later followed by Kaydel and Phasma who came after her classes. Soon, my room was filled with pink balloons and several bouquets of flowers. Finn and Poe couldn’t leave but they would stop by later in the week before I was discharged. Which was fine. I was being smothered plenty by all of the affection and love from my female friends.

I’d finally been allowed to eat some regular foods aside from ice chips. However, I was going to be on a strict diet of vitamin-rich foods until I recovered fully. It didn’t matter. At least it was actually food. What they offered was alright. I was so hungry that I barely cared.

Each one of them had their turn holding Alice. Rocking her and singing to her while we all conversed quietly. She slept through most of it while we all gushed over her. Yes, she was going to be just fine. She already had four aunties on standby, ready to take on anyone who would dare to do her harm. They’re already talking about who was going to have the honor of being the first to babysit.

When it came to changing her first nappy, Rose and Zorri were the ones to direct me. Showing me the proper way to hold her and clean her. I’d taken some parenting courses, but it just proved that nothing prepared you for the actual thing. I was even intimidated by how much baby powder I was supposed to do. Unfortunately, that led to a small accident where I accidentally squeezed it facing upwards. Making a little white cloud of powder go up and had us all sneezing. Even Alice. The expression she gave me was something on the line of, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

It was so funny that we all broke out into tears because we were laughing so hard.

Their enthusiasm was heartwarming, to say the least. It only reminded me of what I was thinking earlier. I had a healthy network of people around me that cared. I’ll never have to worry about Alice. She would be safe with any of them. There was not a doubt in my mind.

They all left around the same time later in the afternoon. Only leaving Ben and myself.

“I like your stache,” I commented dryly at the more visible facial hair.

He looked up at me with surprise and stroked it before smiling sheepishly. “Yeah, I forwent shaving these last few days and it’s finally caught up to me.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “How bad is it?”

I giggled, “It’s not bad. I’m just used to it shaved is all.”

“Well,” He started while stretching his arms over his head. “I’ll take care of it when I head back home.”

“Get some rest first.” I insisted, rocking Alice gently after having just fed her. I was starting to feel a little dozy from the endorphins. “I don’t want you scaring Alice if you walk in tomorrow with bandages all over your face because you fell asleep holding the razor.”

He rolled his eyes, “Oh, come on! That was one time!”

“Right, one time since I’ve been living with you.” I pointed out while rolling my own eyes. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m not perfect, I cut myself too and I feel way out of practice. I haven’t been able to shave past my thighs in months.” I let out a huge yawn and held her out towards him. “Would you mind putting her down for me? I’m getting a little sleepy.”

Instantly, he came forward and readily took her into the cradle of his arms. His eyes light up with joy, “Of course. Hey there, Princess.” She cooed happily in response as he rocked her back and forth. “Did you have a good day? You got to meet all the aunts that are going to spoil you rotten.”

“Not too rotten!” I said insistently with a shaky laugh.

He winked at me as he lowered her down into the bassinet, “Fine, just a little rotten.” With a gentle stroke of her head, he whispered, “Night night, Alice. I’ll see you and mama in the morning.”

I watched them interact with each other with a new sense of longing. If someone from the outside were to look in, they’d think he was the proud new daddy. I knew from the moment she was born that he loved her. It made me so happy that Alice had a man like him to be a positive male role model in her life. He was better than Armitage. He had no obligation to either of us whatsoever, but he still felt it his responsibility to be my support system and my friend.

Twice he has saved me now. Still, he asks for no reward. Only that Alice and I are safe. If I’ve learned anything over all the hardships I’d endured, it’s that there are still good people in the world. 

  
  



End file.
